Second Chances
by RZZMG
Summary: Scorpius Malfoy comes into his Veela birth heritage & seeks out his mate, Rose Weasley. At the same time, Draco Malfoy has decided to take a 2nd mate with the death of his wife & he's waited a long time to have Hermione Granger. Will destiny keep these couples from their much-deserved 2nd chances? NOMINATED BEST NEXTGEN WIP STORY-see profile for details. Romance/Hot Shag/Drama.
1. Chapter 1: Casualty of Destiny

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: **

**This was Lady Serpentina's FIC CHALLENGE criteria to me:  
**  
_1) A possessive Veela Scorpius.  
2) Post Hogwarts - to make the challenge more interesting. How they meet each other again is up to you.  
3) This fic has to be rated mature. I love your smutty graphic scenes! Dark and angsty scenes are preferred. I love a dark Scorpius! I haven't read a fic with a mean Scorpius...yet :)  
4) Rose's parents are divorced - Sorry I can't stand Hermione and Ron together.  
5) A possibility between Dramione - come on, their kids aren't even blood related.  
6) An innocent kiss  
7) "Merlin's hairy balls," phrase is to be mentioned at least four times.  
8) A revealing dream about the future.  
9) Rose gets bitten in three different places due to Scorpius' courting-veela standers_

_10) __If Rose is Scorpius' mate, then you know what that means... Rose can't fall easily for Scorpius' Malfoy charms, she can respond to his "accidental" physical touches, but she'd be against it till she is convinced Scorpius is what she wants and needs - she's to be stubborn and deny everything that's changing her perfectly planned life, this is Hermione's daughter after all. Scorpius must convince her he's what she needs. How long the story is, is up to you. :)_

**This will be a multi-chapter fic, filled with romance, comedy, drama, sexual naughtiness, and angst galore! Hope you enjoy the ride, dear readers!**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER:**"Harry Potter" is the property of J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. This fanfiction was written entirely for fun, not for profit, and no copyright infringement is intended.

**TIMELINE: **Begins June 2031 (NextGen - Post-Hogwarts, Epilogue compliant)

**CAST OF CHARACTERS **(in alphabetical order, by last name)**: **Susan Bones-Weasley, Fleur Delacour-Weasley, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy, Scorpius Malfoy, Arthur Weasley, Ron Weasley, Rose Weasley + Original Characters

**SUMMARY: **Scorpius Malfoy comes into his Veela birth heritage at the age of 25, and seeks out his mate, Rose Weasley. But his childhood rival is not so easily tamed! At the same time, Draco Malfoy has decided to take a second mate with the death of his wife, Astoria, and he's waited a long time to have the witch of his dreams. Will divorcee Hermione Granger be amicable to his suit? Resolves are tested and wills clash. Secrets from the past threaten to tear lovers apart. Challengers to the mating get set to interfere. Can these two couples succeed at a second chance at love and break a curse that has haunted the Malfoy men for centuries?

**RATING: M+/NC-17 **(Explicit heterosexual situations – including masturbation, fingering, oral sex, consensual intercourse, loss of virginity, as well as non-consensual sex/rape; Veela mate marking & bonding; Infidelity; Explicit profanity; Violence; Alcohol consumption; Use of Memory Charms and Compulsion Charms; Pregnancy)

**IMAGES TO GO ALONG WITH THIS FANFICTION (replace "dot" with "." and remove all spaces to make the URL load properly):** _s905 DOT photobucket DOT com/albums/ac260/RZZMG/Second%Chances/_

* * *

_**SECOND CHANCES**_

**BY: RZZMG**

* * *

_**CHAPTER 1: CASUALTY OF DESTINY**_

_**Saturday, June 21st, 2031 (night)**_

This was the worst birthday ever, Scorpius fumed. No presents. No cake. No guests. No fancy party clothes. No riotous celebration with Firewhisky. No bint to suck him off, as had been his favorite June twenty-first tradition since he'd reached the age of legal adulthood. Nothing fun whatsoever was allowed to mark his turning a quarter-century old today.

What he had been treated to, however, was a bath filled with foul smelling herbs that made him repeatedly sneeze, greasy oils that made his hair slick and limp, and sitting alone for two soul-sucking hours in silence in quickly cooling water, supposedly for meditation purposes. He hadn't even been allowed to wank away his frustrations; his father had expressly forbade the act, stating it would screw up the special ceremony to come that night and would probably end up making things very physically painful for him.

As a result, Scorpius sat on the edge of his bed now, wearing what looked like some sort of homo-erotic toga from out of ancient _fucking_ Greece, his prick semi-erect because he hadn't taken care of his "little problem" in a few days, and wishing to Slytherin that he could have at least been allowed a stiff drink in each hand and a cold towel on his forehead to ease the stress.

He'd been dreading today since he'd been ten years old, when his father had sat him down and briefly explained his heritage to him. Unfortunately, the cocksucker hadn't told his son any of the important shite – like what being a male Veela _actually_ meant for his future. Now that previously nebulous dread was ballooning into a full-blown, almost tangible panic attack as he imagined all sorts of horrific scenarios behind his eyelids, most of them having to do with developing a fatal allergic reaction to alcohol and pussy after his Transition had completed.

He sighed and cracked open his peepers to check the clock over the mantle. It was five past eleven. _Hurry the fuck up_, he swore at the timepiece, as if it had the ability to magically respond. _I want this over with, one way or the other._

At exactly forty-two past eleven that night, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy was destined to come into his Veela birthright. He would "awaken" finally, according to his dad, and would not only go through a physical and magical alteration, but he'd also know from his vision-dreams his life mate's identity, just as his father had known when it had been his time, and his father before him, and his father before him, _ad infinitum_.

Hurrah. Like being tied to some vapid shrew with an expensive shoe habit would be the most joyous event of his life.

Gods be damned, he wish he were anyone but himself right then! Even swapping bodies with Albus "fluff-head" Potter would be preferable to this fate.

It was all the fault of some long-forgotten ancestor named Theodosis. That sodding bastard had traded their family's pureblood lineage for his own personal hubris (like _that_ was something extraordinary for the Malfoys to do… _yeah,_ _right_). The dark, death-and-blood magic that the man's Veela mate had used to curse him to get even for years of his senseless cruelty towards her had resulted in a generational affliction that had not abated over time. Every Malfoy heir from Theodosis' son onwards suffered a Veela growing within them and bonding to them upon their twenty-fifth year of life, forcing them to endure the pain of living and mating as a beast. And now Scorpius was going to pay that piper as well, losing out on his well-enjoyed bachelorhood.

Sure, the mate-bonding thing that Veelas had going for them assured that the Malfoy lineage never died out. Ancestral longevity was guaran-_fucking_-teed as a result – something the family patriarchs were positively thrilled over, Scorpius was quite sure.

Then there was the bonus of the fantastic sex, thanks to the Veela allure. The beautiful, magically-powerful creatures were the incubi of the world, and fucking one's life mate was supposedly the greatest high a Being could _ever_ achieve, even more so than imbibing any potion or chewing any mushroom passed through the hands of those half-baked hippie wizarding communes living in mountain caves somewhere in Tibet.

Another wonderful gift of the Veela enchantment was that the male heirs and their wives would live twice the average lifespan of a normal human through the blood-bond of the mating, barring any unnatural calamity such as suicide, fatal accident or murder. The oldest Malfoy on record, Brutus, had made it to one hundred and ninety-years old before his tired body finally gave out.

Yet, despite such substantially wondrous "gifts," there were two critically significant sticking points to the whole deal that made it stink to high heaven: First, there was nothing in the fine print of that centuries old magical contract that guaranteed his mate would ever fall in love with him; lust, yes, but love… not necessarily. Second, the mating assured neither partner would sexually want anyone else physically until the bond was broken by death. The surviving mate could then take another lover if he or she wished, though few often did. So, basically, if he ended up with an aggro-moose that he despised, he was stuck with the lairy slag until she died… which could be _a very long time_, if she lived out her natural life at his side. And he'd have to fuck her if he wanted to get his rocks off, because jerking off wouldn't do the trick anymore and he wouldn't be attracted to anyone else until she kicked off.

Merlin's hairy balls, he was facing down the green of one giant craps shoot, based entirely upon chemical compatibility, and determined by the Veela within him. Scorpius had absolutely no say in any of it. He didn't even get to place a bet.

"I hate you," he spat at the figure standing a few feet away, feeling rather spiteful at that moment.

His father turned from his purview of the darkened front lawns to stare back at him with sincere regret. At fifty-one years old, Draco Malfoy looked no older than thirty. He was still as attractive now as he had been twenty years ago. His mother, Astoria, would have shared the same fate, had she not died in a tragic Floo accident three months after Scorpius' first year at Hogwarts had begun.

"I know. I'm sorry, my son."

Scorpius snarled. "Right. Grandfather's sorry for ruining us both financially and socially by following a madman all those years ago, you're sorry for mum's death, and I'm sorry for ever being born into this godforsaken, cursed family. Guess that makes us all even."

A deep, disgusted sigh was expelled from the other resident-in-waiting hanging around his rooms. "Oh, do get over yourself, Scorpius. This is your duty. Every Malfoy male has had to endure the same thing for generations. You're not unique, boy."

Scorpius sneered into the shadows where he knew his grandfather, Lucius, preferred to skulk. "You may be right, but being forced to become a breeding stud to some cold bint of a pureblooded witch isn't my idea of a life, especially not for _this_ family."

He knew he'd gone too far, but he also knew neither man in the room would lift a wand or hand to him on this of all nights. It was too important for him to have his vision of the future. He'd pay for it tomorrow in a good tongue-lashing, though. He could practically see his grandfather's promise behind those narrowed, cold eyes. He knew his father would give no succor either, being little more than Lucius' whipped dog. Fucking coward.

"How close are we to this _thing_ happening?" he growled, feeling one big bundle of crackling frustration.

His father reached into his pocket and pulled out an ancient watch. "A little less than half an hour from now. You need to finish getting ready." He crossed the space and summoned their most trusted house-elf, Barnham, with a simple calling of his name. The elder creature popped into the room, magically hovering in the air around him a pre-arranged pitcher of some sort of liquid and a hand rinsing bowl, as well as small towels and a wooden, rectangular box.

Scorpius had already endured the bathing ritual earlier, and he still felt underdressed and rather vulnerable in this weird one-piece he had been forced to wear. "What's it this time?" he groaned in protest, taking in the new elements floating in the air. "More herbs, scented oils, and girly hair washing on the agenda?"

Draco shook his head and turned to direct the house-elf in placing the accoutrements on a bedside table. When he was done, his father dismissed the elf and waved his wand over the door for privacy. He then dimmed the lights even further, until they were just a glimmer in the near dark. Only the moon shining down from the wide cathedral window over the bed and from the French doors on the other side of the room provided light to see by. His father poured what looked like clear water from the pitcher into the wide-bottomed bowl next to it. He then stepped back and looked over his shoulder to his own father, apparently seeking approval. Lucius nodded, but said nothing.

Scorpius was suddenly very wigged out. Warily, he watched and waited.

"Dip your hands in this, Scor," his father bid, indicating the bowl. "For purity's sake."

Stepping forward, Scorpius looked down into the bottom of the clear receptacle and saw an eerie shadow of a reflection in the water. He raised his hands and tipped them into the liquid, immediately feeling a warming effect. He gasped, pulled his hands away, and vigorously shook them to get the water off of them.

"It won't hurt you," his father promised. "It's only water with some herbs and oils in it, like you guessed."

Reaching for a towel, Scorpius wiped his hands as dry as possible, still feeling the oil residue on his skin; it left his hands silky and soft. He threw the towel down and stepped away, annoyed by this whole scenario. "Can we just get this over with already?"

"Lie back in your bed," his father instructed, keeping his distance.

Scorpius complied, but kept a wary eye out on the elder Malfoys. What was going on?

Draco looked once more at his father and tilted his chin, to indicate Lucius should wait outside. With a nod, Scorpius' grandfather left. He knew the old man wouldn't be far, however; he was always slithering around from the shadows when you least expected it.

"Do you want to tell me what the hell I can expect?" Scorpius snarled in annoyance.

His father looked very tired all of the sudden. "If you'd give me the opportunity." He ran well-manicured hands through his long bangs, pushing them off his forehead and sighed. "There are three parts to the Transition. The first is called the 'Manifestation,' where the Veela alters your magical aura to match that of your future mate's, so you'll be magical equals. You'll gain some abilities and lose others."

"The second is the 'Emergence,' where the Veela chemistry alters your body. You're remade inside and out. You'll look the same, but you'll be physically tougher, you'll have greater endurance, your cell growth will slow so you won't age at the normal rate, and your immune system will be stronger. This is so you'll be able to protect your mate against all threats during your lives together. You'll also have control of your scent glands so you can mark your mate once you find her."

"The third is the 'Presentation,' where the Veela will give you a vision of your Bond Mate. This is called 'opening your Third Eye.' With your enhanced senses, and a firm fix on what she looks like, you'll be able to find your ideal mate anywhere in the world. You'll use your physical, pheromonal and magically enhanced attributes to bind her to you once you have her." His lips twisted in a mocking smirk. "You'll have to court her with your human charms if you want her to be a willing participant, though. That's not something the Veela has the disposition to accomplish. They're all about the sex, and lack the romantic flair."

"Sounds like this is going to suck from A to Z," Scorpius stated, a bitter frown on his lips.

His father shrugged. "The third part's not so bad." He pursed his lips, considering his next words with care. "I'm not going to lie to you, son. The Transition is a very personal experience. Every Veela male undergoes it differently. During the first and second stages, it was very, _very_ painful for me. It was like shards of glass were being shoved directly into my nerves at first, then like I was being torn in two. I begged for death." He shuddered. "My father's experience was entirely different, however. He explained it as feeling like being hooked on powerful potions for drug inhibition _and_ acceleration – like he was flying and falling at the same time and couldn't make the sensation stop until it was over. I'm sure he vomited his guts out after and despised feeling so weak and out of control. And his father, Abraxas, was extremely violent and angry. His room was trashed by the time the third stage took him." He shut his eyes. "How you handle your Transition will shape your future, son. It will shape what kind of man you will be for the remainder of your living years. Try to get through it with courage and fortitude."

Scorpius' eyebrows were in his hairline and his pulse sped up. "You're fucking kidding me, right?"

His father shook his head. "I wish I could take this from you, but I can't. This is your personal test of fire, Scor. Everyone has to pass through one at some point in their lives… some of us more than once." That sarcastic, acrimonious smirk was back on Draco's handsome face. "In any case, you need to be prepared for anything during the first and second stages. The third stage…"

Here his father faltered, and heat crept up his cheeks to bloom cherry red against his pale skin. Even in the dim lighting, his father's embarrassment practically glowed. He cleared his throat and tried again. "The third stage will require you to… ah… engage in…" He paused again, looking decidedly uncomfortable. "You're going to have to… pleasure yourself." He pointedly looked at the ceramic vessel Scorpius had earlier dipped his hands into. "Into that."

If Scorpius thought he couldn't be any more flabbergasted after the earlier revelations, he was clearly quite mistaken. "You want me to come in a bowl full of noxious smelling stuff? How sanitary can that be? And why the hell for?"

Rolling his eyes and sighing again, his father crossed to the arrangement in question and poured more of the water from the pitcher into the basin. "You're _going_ to do it, and you're _going_ to cut yourself with this knife," he withdrew a silver blade from the wooden box brought in with the other items. "Over the pad of your left thumb. You'll let three drops of your blood fall into the mix, and then you're then going to swirl it all together with your cut hand, open up your Third Eye, and see the vision of your mate in here. The magic requires this sacrifice from your body to work. If you botch it up, you'll be unable to find her."

He turned very serious, steel grey orbs on Scorpius, sorrow intertwined with the weight of his words. "A mate is the greatest joy you will ever know, my son. It's a _terrible_ thing to lose her – even if it's just the chance of finding her. Don't blow this opportunity. Take it seriously."

A heavy pressure suddenly settled in Scorpius' chest, leaving him feeling very vulnerable, like he was eleven all over again and being called out of class to be told his mother had died. "What if she's all wrong for me? What if she's a horrid person? I don't want to get stuck in a bad marriage."

A rare, small smile graced his father's perfectly sculpted lips. "The Veela will pick the best match for your character. It knows who is right for you. It's never wrong, even if it seems it at first."

Scorpius swallowed his pride to ask the one question he'd always been afraid to after his mother's funeral. "Was mum your perfect match?"

Draco huffed in amusement, the smile spreading wider. "She was exactly the woman I needed then, although at first, I couldn't stand to be around her. I thought she was the typical pure-blood princess – shallow, vain. You know the type."

Scorpius nodded. He, too, couldn't stand most of the women in his class, as all they tended to consider important were shopping trips, parties and gossip.

"Our courtship was slower than normal, because neither of us wanted to be tied to the other. It was three months before I bound her to me," his father continued. "Mostly it was the mating magic forcing both of our hands to finish the three binding marks. I'm ashamed to say that you weren't conceived with romance in mind, son. Not at first. During the pregnancy, that's when I saw what kind of woman she really was underneath the pretense. She was thoughtful, considerate, open-minded, and supportive. The war had left me scarred, inside and out, son. Astoria helped me come to terms with my inner demons, and I loved her for it." He beamed a wistful smile in Scorpius' direction. "Your mother taught me how to look at a person's qualities, not their deficits. She changed my world outlook. I became a better person just by knowing her. I hope your mate will bring you the same comfort." A mischievous grin swept across his face then, lighting it with youthful exuberance, and he waggled his eyebrows once. "Best case scenario, I'm hoping for a grandson in nine months."

Scorpius felt the heat rise in his cheeks. To distract his stray, lusty thoughts, he glanced over at the clock. "Whoa… four minutes left!"

His father spun around and checked the clock, then double-checked with the one in his pocket. "Guess you'd better lay back now." He approached the bed, standing over his son as Scorpius slipped under the fine satin covers. "I'll stand watch for the first two stages, to make sure you don't hurt yourself. I'll leave you at the onset of the third stage." He cut off Scorpius' obvious question with a wave of his hand. "You won't be able to miss it when it happens – you'll get as hard as a rock. Trust me. Just make sure you capture as much of your… stuff… in your hands and quickly get it into the bowl. The more you have, the better the vision. Then cut your left thumb, left to right across the pad – it hurts less that way and heals quicker. Three drops of blood, let it soak in with the… with your jizz. Then swirl it clockwise while staring into the bowl and you'll fall into a trance-like state. You open your Third Eye simply by staring. It'll automatically happen, without any thought or effort on your part. The magic will summon the vision. Just mark your mate's face with your mind. You'll already know her, as you'll at least have crossed paths once in your life. When you do that, call for me and I'll come back here."

Scorpius took a deep breath. "Easy, yeah?"

Draco arched one golden eyebrow. "We'll see."

Sighing a deep breath, he joked, "Ever the optimist."

He had just a moment to hear his father's chuckle and his wish of good luck, and then pain screamed through Scorpius' brain, slamming into him like a two ton steam engine on full-tilt. He shrieked in agony, felt his father grip his hand, and then there was nothing but blinding, white hot pain that seemed endless.

* * *

_**TO BE CONTINUED...**_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S EXTENDED NOTES:**

**Please review!**

**- For the record, there is exactly 26 years (25 + some number of months) between Lucius Malfoy (born 1954) & Draco Malfoy (born 1980) and between Draco Malfoy (born 1980) & Scorpius Malfoy (born 2006). It's a weird coincidence that I capitalized on for this fic to make it work.**


	2. Chapter 2: Casualty of Infatuation

_**CHAPTER 2: CASUALTY OF INFATUATION**_

_**Saturday, June 21st, 2031 (night)**_

The thumping bass of the music roared through Rose's veins as she ground her arse against her date's pelvis in time to the beat. Corwin McLaggen – Keeper of the Montrose Magpies, and arch rival to her own team, the Holyhead Harpies - was a _master_ hottie, with short blond hair that was as soft as angel's wings to the touch (she'd discovered earlier tonight, when she'd run her hands through it finally), tawny gold eyes that smoked with sultry lust, pouty lips that begged for kissing, and a body that made you wet just glancing in its direction. Although the two had gone out a few times back in school, years prior, she'd never had him.

She intended upon rectifying that short-sighted neglect tonight.

Rough, strong hands gripped her thighs and pulled her in tighter, letting her feel a raging erection urging between her cheeks. Wrapping his arms about her waist, he pressed his wicked mouth to her ear and made her the offer she'd been waiting the last two hours (and five shots of Firewhiskey) for: to go back to his place for an evening of fun.

Quickly nodding, Rose took his hand and led him off the dance floor, signaling her best girlfriends, Holly and Shannon Finnegan (the melancholic twins aptly nicknamed "Doom" and "Gloom," for they had the Muggle revitalized Goth look down), Alicia Longbottom (the "Wild Child" of Gryffindor, because no one could drink as much as Alicia – not even the boys), Eleri Nott (writer on all things fashion for _Witchie View_ Magazine), and her cousins, Lucy Weasley (Uncle Percy and Auntie Audrey's youngest daughter and Rose's BFF - who had convinced Rose just tonight to reach inside and pull out her "inner slag" if she was serious about wanting to tread into "naughty territory" at any point in her life) and Lily Potter (Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny's daughter, who seconded Luce's encouragement) that she intended on splitting for the night.

Side-Along Apparating to Corwin's flat, his arm firmly couching her against his chest for safety during transport, they made it past his wards and inside quickly before falling on each other in a tangle of frantic limbs and hungry kisses and loud moaning.

The truth was that Rose had never dared anything like she was doing just then. She'd always been a "good girl," not wanting to disappoint her dad, who thought the sun traveled its horizon just for her. Besides, her mother had always been rather strict about propriety, and it had been ingrained into her from a young age that proper ladies never slept around. In her twenty-five years, she'd only had two men in her bed, and both of them had been long term commitments, spanning over two years a piece (that had, unfortunately, not worked out). Tonight, though, she'd decided to take Luce's advice and have fun at the club and to let her destiny take her where it may. She'd never in her wildest dreams thought she'd happenstance reconnect with Corwin, much less that he'd be interested in a shag. So, it was with great trepidation and a heart beating with frantic wings that she now partook of this fantasy come true with the man who had made her wish she'd given up her virginity to him back when she was merely sixteen.

Hot, strong, calloused hands pushed up the fabric of her short, aqua colored dress slowly, but rather roughly. "Bloody hell, Rosie, I've always wanted this with you," Cor admitted on a groan as he discovered the edging of her thong and followed it with two fingers. "Ever since Sixth Year. You're so _fucking_ hot, girl, you know that?"

His words made her heart flutter faster. Never had either of her two previous lovers referred to her as sexy in any fashion. They'd been the soft, comfortable relationships that were more friendships with benefits, not the burn-me-up, fuck-me-against-the-wall types of love that she'd always secretly craved deep in her soul. That Cor thought her desirable appealed to the feminine side of her personality that had lain dormant for far too long (and had only recently reawakened, thanks to her female cousins all taking her on shopping trips and reinventing her wardrobe for her, adding some seriously slutty pieces that Rose blushed just to touch).

Shoved hard against the wall in the entry way of his home, she felt Cor's fingers trail around to the front of her and dip into her welcoming slit. They both hissed at the sensation of him gliding easily through her soaked center, pressing up and inside with those same two fingers. Wrapping one leg about his waist, Rose held on as her _choix de nuit_ brought her to the edge of her passion within a minute, thrusting up against her g-spot, rubbing and tickling it. He watched her face raptly, resisting her attempts to get him to lean in and kiss her again. "Yeah, that's it, Rosie. Come on. Come for me."

Something about the way he'd said that sent little flutterbys to riot in her stomach, but there was no time to consider, as just then, she did orgasm _hard_. She tightened up all around him and moaned deeply in pleasure.

The fingers were out of her in seconds, her panties were ripped from one hip with a strong tug, and she was lifted into well-built arms and carried to the couch, where Cor proceeded to sit her up against the back of the cushions. With a quick tug, he lifted her dress over her head, tossed it to the floor and then knelt before her to take her all in. It was silent for a few moments, the only sound in the room her and her man's combined panting, and when she looked up at his greater height, she could see that his eyes were glassy in the dim light coming in through the windows off to the side. Reverently, her childhood crush-turned adult sexual interest ran his hands over her unfettered breasts (the dress hadn't allowed for a bra). "Merlin almighty, Rosie, you're perfect!"

Bending that enchanting mouth of his to her left nipple, he drew it in with a gentle sucking and proceeded to lick, nip and bruise with the pressure of ravenous feasting on her breast. Rose ran her fingers through his short hair the whole time, enjoying its softness, encouraging him with mewls of "yes," and "harder." He gave equal attention to her right nipple soon after, and then his fingers were back in between her legs, spreading her open, expertly entering her and coaxing another climax from her very soon.

He lifted his head to her mouth, kissed her as she mounted her pleasure fast. "Do you want me inside you now?"

Out of her mind with pleasure, she nodded. "Yes, Cor, _please_…"

He rested his forehead on hers and groaned as his thumb ran over her clit and she keened, her spine rocking forward in response. "Are you on anything - a birth control potion? Or do I need my wand for the contraceptive spell?"

She snacked lightly on his earlobe, running her tongue over his throat like a cat licking cream. "Your wand."

He nodded in understanding and summoned his wooden rod to his hand with a silent _Accio_. He then cast the spell on her belly to prevent pregnancy and disease (she recognized it easily by now, having used it her whole adult life). "I've gotta have you _now_," he mumbled, tossing his shirt over his head and to the ground, and rushing to undo his belt and pants. "I'll try to go slow, but… _fuck_, Rosie… I've never wanted any woman this much!"

Kissing him deeply, she reached down and helped pull his slacks down his thighs, brushing against his erection on the way past. Her fingers backtracked and wrapped about his length, causing him to elicit a deep groan. Her lover was burning to the touch, of average length and width, and dripping wet already. "Inside me, now," she hummed against his lips, pumping him a few times just for measure, wanting to know how he felt in between her legs. "Need it fast and hard, Cor. Go slow later."

He nodded. "Your wish is my command, baby."

Pushing her into the soft sofa, he used the strength in those powerful arms of his to lift her. She easily coordinated with him in this dance and wrapped her long legs about his waist. Gripping her hips, Cor lined them up and slammed himself inside with one powerful surge of his pelvis, burying himself to the hilt. They both cried out at the satisfaction of being united for the first time, and true to his word, he fucked her from the start with quick, forcible pounding, leaving no second for hesitation. "Not hurting you, am I?" he asked, even as he gasped and knocked her about harder, his firm, strapping muscles tensing and unclenching with every drive and retreat of his body.

Shaking her head, Rose was practically incoherent in her replies in the negative, and then in her requests for him to bring her with him, at the same time. He delivered as promised, waiting until she came in one rapturous eruption of feelings before spurting his seed deep into her in a series of bruising, throbbing lunges and an ecstatic cry of her name.

When it was done, they lay panting and sweating in each other's arms, he mostly still clothed, she wearing only her F.M. ("Fuck Me") black, patent leather, four inch heels and the remnant of her thong (which had slipped down to cling to one knee from all of the vigorous activity). It took several minutes before either was coherent enough to speak.

"That was amazing," her impromptu date admitted, his hands stroking the sway of her back, his nose nuzzling her neck in between rapid inhalations and exhalations. "_You're_ gods damned amazing, Rosie. I knew… I just _knew_ you'd undo me if you ever got your hooks into me, baby."

Those pixies in her tummy went madly bouncing about again. "What… do you mean?" she asked in between gasping for breath.

Cor sat on his haunches, dragging her with him, still intimately connected to her. He brought their faces nose-to-nose and stared at her with a very vulnerable, sincere expression. "I… I've kind of kept tabs on you for years, Rosie. Nothing stalkerish, I swear. Just asked on occasion how you were, if you were seeing anyone, if you were happy, that sort of thing." He brought a trembling hand up and caressed her cheek with it. "All through school I had a crush on you, ever since day one when we shared a compartment on the train up to Hogwarts for the first time, but you never seemed really interested in dating me."

Rose blinked in astonishment, feeling something in her heart tug at his words. "But we went to the Yule Ball together our Sixth Year, during the Tri-Wizard Tournament, when you were a Champion."

He shook his head. "And you spent the whole night glaring at my cousin, Scorpius, and his date. It was pretty obvious where your interests lay then."

Flabbergasted, Rose could only gape at him. She hadn't done that… had she? No, surely not! She'd _hated_ that Malfoy git all through their formative years at Hogwarts with a passion. He'd been merciless, cruel and deliberately intimidating towards her from the very beginning of their long acquaintance, and she'd been glad to bid _adieu_ to him the day they'd graduated. There was simply no way she'd ever been interested in him, with his stupid rodent face and waspish tongue and malicious temper.

Cor shrugged, as if it weren't really important in the grand scheme of things. "In any case, I've been kind of hoping that someday you'd be interested in me in _that_ way. It was really stupid luck that Michael Wood, and Lorcan and Lysander Scarmander – my best mates – decided to drag me out tonight for some fun. Otherwise, I'd have missed this chance." He ran a finger over her jaw, down towards her lips, drawing across the swollen skin tenderly. "So, I guess I'm saying that I'm interested in seeing you, and asking if you want to do this again. Tonight. Tomorrow. Whenever. Cause, Rosie, I have to admit… I'm quite taken with you. Always have been."

Behind her rib cage, Rose's heart picked up in pace, causing her to breathe erratic once more. It took her two swallows and false starts to get out her response. "Let's start with tonight, and see how we both feel in the morning, okay?"

Golden brown eyes shown with relief as he nodded. "I want to take you to my bed, though. Should have done that this first time, but couldn't seem to make it that far. Sorry." He leaned in and kissed her gently with nips. "I want to touch you and taste you all over. I want you to do the same to me. Sound good?"

A grin crept up her face until her teeth gleamed at him. "Absolutely. Lead on."

That was the best night of Rose Weasley's life, and by the morning, when she and Corwin had finally collapsed in exhaustion, having made love four times, and spent hours exploring each other, taking a shower together, and talking, she was already half in love with her former crush.

**X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X**

_**Saturday, June 28th, 2031 (morning) **_

Rose continued to lay in bed feeling deliciously sated. Cor had spent the night at her flat, and he'd attended to her every whim with a sinful, focused finesse that had her wantonly, _loudly_ crying out his name to the heavens several times. He'd only just left her an hour earlier to get ready for his team's practice later that morning – the same exact thing she needed to get up for in another few minutes, she knew, although she didn't need to hit the Quidditch pitch until one o'clock (the Holyhead Harpies were a little more interested in letting a girl get her beauty rest).

Still, she relished lying among her light blue, rumpled cotton sheets, pressing her nose into the pillow and smelling Cor's cologne. Sighing in satisfaction, she rolled about, hoping to bury that scent deep into her very pores, wanting to be saturated by it.

She was falling fast and hard for her new beau, and was beginning to worry about sustaining this intensity and keeping her wizard's interest long-term. From his reputation, she knew Corwin McLaggen had his fair share of the ladies, in spades. Like father, like son. She needed to somehow overcome all of those other experiences, so that she would indelibly imprint upon him - but how? Rose had never actively sought to keep a relationship she'd been in; in both cases, her boyfriends had done the pursuing. Now she had something she wanted to keep, and the tough trick was finding out how. Perhaps Molly (Uncle Percy and Auntie Audrey's oldest daughter), or Dominique or her elder sister Victoire (Uncle Bill and Auntie Fleur's children, and the oldest of the cousins) could offer some suggestions, being quite a bit more experienced than the other female cousins and friends she had? No, her cousin Albus (Uncle Harry and Auntie Ginny's youngest son) would be her most advantageous recourse this time. Her best male friend would definitely know how to win a man's affections permanently.

She made a mental note to owl the Potters this afternoon as she made her way to the shower and hopped in, getting ready for her day.

As she skipped down the stairs with a song in her heart, she noted an owl pecking at her kitchen window insisting upon entry. It was her mum's messenger, Herbert, carrying a letter stamped "For Your Eyes Only, Rose."

Sometimes, she wondered if her mother's paranoia stemmed from her time during the war dodging the Dark Lord's spies, or if the woman came by her distrust naturally.

Slipping the bird some treats and sending it on its way, she set the letter down on the counter next to the stove and began preparing her morning coffee. She'd adopted the habit of enjoying espresso every a.m. during the summer after graduation, when she'd gone off to Italy with her mother, her step-mum Susan (who got on famously with Rose's mother, surprisingly), and all of her Weasley Aunts and female cousins on a "Weasley women's vacation" (Lily had been invited, too, even though she's a Potter, and at Rose's insistence). It was her sunup ritual to make a cup of java, cook up some oatmeal or butter up a muffin and sit at her small table to enjoy at least twenty minutes of uninterrupted relaxation over the morning paper. Today, instead, she opted to open her mother's letter while nibbling on her breakfast.

She nearly choked, spewing a mouthful of delicious blueberry crumb cake across the wooden surface.

Holding the letter away from her as far as her arm could stretch, she tried reading it again, thinking her eyes must have been tricking her, and praying that her eyes hadn't readjusted and now she needed her glasses to read again (she'd gotten corrective magic done at _St. Mungo's _for that when she was nineteen, and had been happy to shuck the ugly things). Nope, it still said the same ludicrously asinine thing: she was to skip practice today, dress in her best, most conservative summer dress and make herself presentable for high tea with the Malfoys at _Madam Puddifoot's _at three o'clock.

Fuck. That.

There was _no way_ she was ever going to ever have any kind of pleasant conversation over crumpets and delicate china with that serpent-tongued tormentor of her childhood, Scorpius Malfoy. Not if she had anything to say about it.

Putting in a Floo call to her mum only ended with her stepping into the darned chimney and taking a trip over to her mum's cottage (where she'd been living ever since her parents had divorced when she was eighteen), where she proceeded to get into a screeching match with her mother. It ended with Hermione putting her foot down and Rose relenting – but only _after_ having a heaping, steaming pile of guilt dumped right onto her shoulders, of course. Her mum had no compulsion whatsoever about using every trick in the book to get her children (and her ex-husband, and Uncle Harry) to fall into line when she needed them to, and Rose fell for her hoodwinking every time. She was not a gullible person by nature, but she didn't like to disappoint her parents, because she knew how much they had sacrificed over the years for her; that was her Achilles Heel, as it were.

With a deep sigh of resentment, she'd left her mother with a promise that she'd attend this important shindig which, her mother had informed her, had been at the behest of Scorpius himself. Apparently, whatever that nimrod had to say to her was of "the utmost importance" and "couldn't be postponed in the relaying another day." Whatever. The fucker probably just wanted to tell her that he'd used his family's wealth to buy up a Quidditch team so he could use them to beat her solidly once and for all (he'd never won a match, Seeker to Seeker, against her in school, and she knew that had eaten at him something fierce).

Returning to her room, slumping in defeat, she went into her closet and rummaged about for an appropriate outfit. Her mother had stressed that she was to look her best and no funny business.

The thought occurred as she stared at the dress and shoes she'd picked out that this was the perfect opportunity to stick it to that snotty, spoilt brat she'd grown up with once and for all. Scorpius hadn't seen her, as far as she was aware, in all the years separating them from graduation, so he hadn't seen her transformation from ugly duckling into swan. She'd had her teeth done in addition to the glasses, and her small overbite and slight crookedness had been corrected so that now she gleamed straight and pearly white. Additionally, she'd taken a ten week crash beauty course on the weekends for fun a few years ago and had learned how to adequately tame her rat's nest of hair, getting it properly cut and maintaining it with care, so now it lay in smooth, gentle curls. Further, all of her female cousins had taken it upon themselves to teach her everything about fashion, too, and with the good money she made from playing Seeker for the Harpies, she was able to afford a stylish wardrobe. Using all of her adult advantages, she was sure to 'wow' that no count Malfoy wanker, and show him that she'd grown up into a woman of beauty, despite all of the horrible things he'd predicted for her as a child when he'd taunted her unattractiveness.

Feeling a bit spiteful and vindictive, Rose went out of her way to make herself up into a delectable vision of loveliness when it was time to get ready later that afternoon. She then Apparated over to her mum's flat before she changed her mind and feigned a case of untreatable foot fungus to get out of this irritating obligation.

At first glance and to her shock, her mother was dressed up rather beautifully as well, wearing a conservative, but well-tailored pastel lavender three-piece suit and snow white pumps that accentuated her pretty legs. Her hair and make-up were done up beautifully and she was wearing tasteful jewelry that played up the visual. "Who're you hoping to see today looking like that?" she questioned suspiciously, looking her mum up and down, finding no flaw, only perfection.

Her mother blushed and turned away. "This is an important meeting, Rose. It's imperative that we both put our best feet forward. That means looking good as well."

Rose raised a skeptical eyebrow, not buying that explanation for a second. "Right." Obviously, her mother was enjoying a moment of vanity, maybe to stick it to her own childhood rival, Scorpius' father, who had (she'd understood from Uncle Harry and her father) picked on Hermione all through school just as his son had done to Rose.

She sighed in annoyance, looking at the Muggle clock on her mother's wall. "We should probably just get this over with then. It's about time."

Hermione flustered, rushed to the bathroom to check her appearance in the mirror once last time, and then the two of them Apparated one after the other to Hogsmeade, Rose's wariness on high alert with every step closer she took to _Madam Pudifoot's Tea Shoppe_. She was about to meet up with the King Viper again after so many years and felt positively ill with that knowledge.

It occurred to her only secondarily as they passed by her Uncle George's joke shop, _Weasely's Wizarding Wheezes Too_, that she should have brought along some anti-venom and pepper spray, if nothing more than for the amusement they'd bring her if she actually used them. Considering _that_ prospect brought a brilliant smile to her face.

* * *

_**TO BE CONTINUED...**_

_**

* * *

**_

**AUTHOR'S EXTENDED N****OTES:**

**PLEASE REVIEW! Would love to hear your thoughts on this story thus far & where you think it's going!**


	3. Chapter 3: Casualty of Irony

_**CHAPTER 3: CASUALTY OF IRONY **_

_**Wednesday, June 25th, 2031 (night) **_

It had taken Scorpius two days to recover from his Veela transition, which had been the single worst experience of his entire life. To simply say it had "sucked hard" would be the understatement of the fucking year. It had sucked _super_ _hard_, with a heaping side order of goblin testicle soufflé for good measure.

Stage one had commenced that fated night with blinding pain, as his magical aura shifted to realign itself, but quickly morphed into uncontrollable lust the likes of which Scorpius had never known was physically possible. Like some sort of turbo-charged wizarding porn star hyped up on PeckerUp Potion, his body had primed itself without stimulation and spilled its seed six times in a single hour. During those horrid sixty minutes that the phase had lasted, he'd just keep coming and coming all over himself, his balls aching by the third round, his large, throbbing cock begging to be cut off by the fifth, helpless to make his hedonistic pleasure (which combined quite upsettingly with smarting pain) stop. Thank Slytherin's soul he'd been wearing that queer toga, because the long fabric had covered his ejecting jizz, preventing it from flying off in every direction, and keeping his embarrassment over the mortifying situation somewhat minimized.

By the succeeding stage, his dick had thankfully deflated, and the passion cooled off, but he'd flown into a rage instead and utterly destroyed his bedroom. The rush of the chemical and physical alterations that the second part (which had lasted _two painful, awful hours_) had been heady, but the all-consuming fury pounding behind his eyes and through his head had overridden any excitement he might have held over his new enhancements. During this period of the change, Scorpius' body readjusted itself every few minutes, adding muscle and bone mass, making him stronger and faster and more powerful. The forced evolution hurt like a son of a bitch, too, which had contributed to his foul mood. As a result, he'd put holes in the plaster inner walls, shattered the fine Italian glass windows with his fists, puked up pints of steaming, crimson blood all over the fine, French Aubusson carpet, crushed the unique antique furniture, torn up the silken bedding and curtains, and thrash the shite out of that annoying clock above his mantle. All of it had needed his grandfather's and father's combined magical resourcefulness to repair the next day, plus a little elbow grease from the resident house elves to nicely spot it up.

By the time both stages had ended, though, Scorpius had been ready to call it all quits. He wanted someone to just put him out of his misery, because he'd known the truly worst part was still coming up. And it did… literally.

Like stage one, his body had gone rock hard in seconds by stage three, his boner lasting ten painful minutes before it had desensitized enough for him to touch himself. Weak kneed, he'd shuffled over to the basin, simultaneously looking over his shoulder and noting his father had quietly left him to his privacy at some point during those hours, to his utmost appreciation. He'd leaned one arm on the wall above the basin, reached under his robe and gripped his Mr. Smith in one tired hand, directly wanking into the clear water, fighting off the hazy blanket of exhaustion that threatened to fall over his mind. Within minutes, he'd come for the last time with a deep groan and a series of hot spurts, feeling the burn from the orgasm all through his legs, abdomen and sack. When he'd finished, he'd limply reached for the knife and cut as he'd been instructed, adding three drops of his blood to the gloop that was half-floating, half-sinking towards the bottom of the ceramic vessel. He'd been careful to stir clockwise as required, and with a weary sigh, leaned over and waited for his doom.

When it came upon him a few seconds later, the vision had struck him nearly blind, imprinting itself into his memory with a power that nearly staggered. In that moment, with his Third Eye fully opened up, Scorpius _saw_… and the apparition of his mate's face quickly made him pull away and vomit onto the floor again. Black and white spots speckled his vision and his eyes had rolled back into his head as he'd lost total consciousness then, crashing to the floor. And that's how his father and grandfather had found him minutes later, having run into the room to investigate why he was so strangely silent: he laid passed out in a pile of his own sick, twitching.

Two blarging days later, he'd woken up, healed and refreshed - and roaring mad with the unfairness of his life.

It had been four additional days since then, and now Scorpius sat on his favorite stool in his favorite bar in Knockturn Alley with his best friend, Marcus Zabini, attempting to get as pissed as he possibly could with his favorite drink, Hebridean Black Firewhiskey (named for one of his great uncles, Hebridean Black, who had invented the drink, not the dragon species of the same name).

"So, you gonna tell me who she is now or do I need to get you even more shitfaced before you open that mouth of yours?" his jovial pal asked, a silly grin plastered to his handsome face. Zabini was one of the very few who knew his family's secret, but only because his father, Blaise, was Scorpius' father's best friend and the elder Zabini had gone through this same exact thing with Draco.

Scorpius downed the rest of his glass down, indicating to the barkeep to pour another three fingers worth of the stuff, and waited to reply, watching to assure he didn't get jipped of every centimeter of his drink. He slugged the amber liquid down in one gulp before answering.

"It's Weasley."

Silence greeted his pronouncement.

"You're shittin' me? You're stuck with a bloke?"

Scorpius turned to his friend and slapped him upside the head with the flat of his palm. "Not Hugo, moron."

Three more seconds of silence passed before Marcus literally roared with laughter, making every head in the room turn with interest. "Holy shite. Rose?" Zabini continued chuckling. "You'd have been better off with her brother, guy. You're _so _screwed."

Ordering another chaser from the bartender, and swallowing that in a single pull as well, Scorpius slumped in his seat, leaning on his elbows against the padded side of the wooden bar. "Tell me something I don't know, genius."

Zabini drank up his own glass and asked for a refill, waiting until the server was out of hearing range before continuing their conversation. "You're sure there's absolutely no way to break the mate thing?"

Feeling the buzz take him on, needing to get good and plowed, Scorpius ordered another round, telling the barman to keep 'em coming until his head hit the wood. "Nope, I'm stuck with that boyish, smart-mouthed, ugly bitch for the rest of my life." He raised his full glass and mock saluted. "To the next one hundred and fifty years of misery." As he tipped it back, he wallowed about the bleakness of his situation once again and wondered if it just wouldn't be better to off himself instead.

Cursing his bad luck once more for being born into this chicken-choking family, he proceeded to get wasted off his arse. Around one in the morning, Marcus dragged him home by Floo; neither of them dared attempt to Apparate in the condition they were in. Helped into his bed by their house elf, he dreamed that night about his various run-ins with his mate while they'd been in school together as kids: Rose besting him at O.W.L.s and turning a smug look upon him across the dining hall, her bragging rights firmly in hand and waving at him tauntingly; Rose beating him to the Snitch _yet again_ and throwing a triumphant laugh in his face; Rose dressed in stunning dark blue robes and dancing a waltz with his cousin, Corwin, at the Yule Ball during their sixth year while glaring at him over her date's shoulder; Rose getting sorted into Ravenclaw and sneering at him as she sauntered past to take her place with a cheering House, every member on their feet; Rose kicking him in the bollocks for trying to knock her from her broom in second year...

Waking the next afternoon with a foul taste in his mouth, a thumper-whump pounding in his head, and stinking of sweat, alcohol, and cigars from the bar's smoky interior, Scorpius stared up at the canopy of his bed and swore undying hate for Rose _cocksucking_ Weasley and the destiny his life had woven for him. Minutes later, he wanked to the fantasy of her prissy, smart, pink mouth and tongue sliding over the entire length of his nine-inch dick as he fisted that thick, curly hair of hers and shoved himself deep down her throat. He came harder than he ever had before.

Merlin's hairy balls, he was _so_ undeniably bucked - especially if that redheaded firebrand ever caught wind to just exactly how much he'd _really_ wanted her for years!

**X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X**

_**Saturday, June 28th, 2031 (afternoon)**_

A strong, comforting hand landed on Scorpius' knee to still its jittering. "Why are you so nervous?" his father asked, concern marring his pale brow. "You've known this girl since you were eleven."

With an indelicate snort, Scorpius forced himself with great restraint to go immobile – and to lie through his teeth. No way was he ever letting anyone know that he'd fancied Rose since the first time she'd stood up to him and didn't back down, that first month of their first year together. "That's the problem. You know I can't stand the sight of her, and now I've got to look at her mutt face forever."

Draco chuckled. "She may have changed since you last saw her as a kid. Maybe she grew up into a lovely young woman who would be amenable to your suit now." His father wryly grinned. "Stranger things have happened, my son."

Swallowing his bitter, cooling tea, Scorpius sniffed in scorn. "Right, and I'm getting my virginity back any minute now."

They waited several more minutes in silence, Scorpius trying not to jiggle his knee in agitation, when suddenly his father stiffened up in his chair and let out a small gasp. Drawn to where his elder's gaze was now pinned, he felt his own breath knocked from his lungs in a single moment as he took in the sight of loveliness approaching.

As the two ladies drew nearer the private table they'd reserved at _Madam Puddifoot's_ for the afternoon, Scorpius couldn't help but gape. As his father had hypothesized, Rose had evolved over the last seven years. Her bushy, crimson hair with its riot of curls had been tamed, laying about her head in lovely, silken strands that waved over her breasts. The dark sprinkling of freckles that had once brushed across her nose had substantially lightened, and now the perfect cream of her skin was plainly evident. Without those damnable, ugly glasses she'd always worn in the way, he could now see how bright her aqua-colored eyes really were. And her teeth had been straightened, perfected, as he could see from the brilliant, full smile she displayed. She wore a lovely blue, aqua, purple and white flowered summer halter dress that exposed her perfect knees, calves, ankles and feet, as well as the sloping of her narrow shoulders and arms. It also allowed an interesting cleavage shot, with its high waist and 'vee' neckline. She carried a pastel yellow clutch in one hand, and on her feet were a pair of strap sandals with a sexy heel. Her jewelry was modest – a bangle on her free wrist, some matching earrings – no necklace, bracelets or rings. In a word, she was exquisite.

He nearly fell out of his chair at the sight of his most hated enemy-slash-secret crush appearing before him as a tempting vision of flesh and beauty. He knew he'd lost his heart in that moment…

…only to snatch it back half a second later when her laughing smile dropped from her face at connecting with his gaze and a glower overtook her features upon spying him.

"_Lovely_," his father breathed next to him in surprise, his voice slightly trembling.

Scorpius gave out another of those rude snorts. "Yeah, but still a bitch," he growled under his breath.

His father ignored him, his gaze locked on the two women approaching. Scorpius noted the man's attention fixated on Rose's mother and paused to appraise his tastes.

For a woman in her fifties, Hermione Weasley looked to be only in her forties. In their features, she and her daughter were very similar, only Mrs. Weasley's hair was dark chocolate instead of scarlet, and her eyes a deep cider brown instead of cerulean (those two things Rose seemed to take from her father's side). The older woman was wearing an attractive pastel lavender two-piece skirt-suit that flattered every curve, with ice-white heels. Mother and daughter both bore slim figures with generous breasts, narrow waists, long legs and graceful hips. Despite her age, the elder Weasley witch looked fantastic, with not a grey to be seen in her hair, and any wrinkles she might have had were well-hidden beneath tasteful make-up. The woman had clearly taken care of her appearance, and it was obvious where Rose got her good looks from. Dryly, Scorpius figured that if Rose continued to take after her mum as she got on in years… well, at least he would still want to fuck his mate when she'd hit middle age.

If they didn't kill each other before then.

Rising from his seat to greet their appointment with impeccable manners, Draco lightly kicked his son under the table to do likewise. Scorpius reluctantly made it to his feet, facing off against his destiny with dread in his chest, but his chin held high. Despite the laws written in the favor of a Veela where his mate was concerned (if the Veela wanted the bonding, the mate literally had no choice but to legally submit, for to deny it would prevent the Veela from ever reproducing throughout their lifespan, in essence robbing the Veela of a chance to produce offspring should they wish it – which was a big Ministry no-no where magical Beings were concerned), he still needed to win this woman's good affections, otherwise he'd be destined for a lifetime of emotional unhappiness and sexual dissatisfaction. That meant he had to play nice with Rose Weasley so she'd accept him and not make his life utter hell for the next century and a half.

He prayed for lightning to pass through the roof of the fancy Tea Shop and strike him dead right then, for that would be infinitely less painful to endure than trying to woo someone who clearly despised every inch of him.

His father stepped forward without preamble and executed the slyest, smoothest move Scorpius had ever seen played: he gently took Mrs. Weasley's hand and, instead of shaking as she'd offered, he bowed low over the knuckles, presenting them with a polite kiss and then gave the woman his most melting smile. "Thank you for agreeing to come and discuss this delicate situation with us, Hermione."

A shy smile lit up Rose's mother's face and she prettily blushed like a young girl. "Of course. It's important to both our families." She glanced him up and down, demurely appreciative. "It's been a long time, Draco. You look smashing."

His father stepped closer, continuing to hold onto the woman's hand. "As do you." His father's voice dipped into a low, smooth, enticing tone, again surprising him. Scorpius hadn't realized his father could express such charm, as the man had been downright disinterested in all women since his mother's death - or so he'd assumed.

There was an intense twenty or thirty seconds where no one spoke, and Draco and Hermione seemed lost in each other's eyes, acting as if the rest of the world didn't exist. Clearly, the two of them knew each other _much _more intimately than Scorpius had ever fathomed before. He traded a look with Rose that said she was just as astonished. As their eyes connected, he suddenly realized that now was an excellent chance to make a good first impression on his mate – well, first in their adult life, anyway. Scorpius cleared his throat and stepped up to the task, taking a page from his father's book. He bowed from the waist towards his intended. "Thank you for coming, Rose."

The odd camaraderie that they'd shared just the moment before was suddenly lost as her frown returned and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Can it, Malfoy, and just tell me what this is all about. Why was I made to dress up and why was I dragged to Hogsmeade today? I'm missing Quidditch practice for this meeting, because you claimed was of the utmost urgency."

Scorpius scowled, his hackles rising in obdurate defensiveness. "So rude, Weasley. Where are your manners?"

Torn from their contemplation of each other, Hermione removed her hand from Scorpius' father's and turned to her daughter, pinching her arm. Rose yelped and pulled away. "You were asked here today because what Scorpius has to tell you concerns your future." With a fierce expression on her face, Mrs. Weasley put her hands on her hips, her expression brooking no back-talk. "At least attempt to be polite, Rose."

Abashed, the younger Weasley turned almost as crimson as her hair. Her jaw clenched, but she seemed mollified. "Yes, m'am."

Feeling resentment and disappointment burning through his chest – okay, so he had hoped that _maybe_ they could be just a little civil to each other at least – Scorpius held out a seat for Rose, refusing to look her in the eye. He didn't say anything, just waited for her to tuck her arse into the chair and then he helped scoot her forward as was proper (noting, unconsciously, the slope of her long, tempting neck, as her hair slid over it). Taking a seat across the table from her, he watched his father do the same for Mrs. Weasley (although with infinitely more patience and affection to the movements), and then spent precious seconds measuring up his intended as she pointedly ignored his staring, letting her gaze wander the establishment's décor instead. His father ordered a selection of teas and refreshments for them from a hovering server in the interim.

Alright, so it was true that Rose had indeed blossomed into a succulent thing. And she smelled incredible; her scent – fresh rain coupled with lilies and jasmine - made his mouth water even from the meter or so between them. And those tits that hinted at from the sides of the dress line were free of a bra, he could tell. Slytherin's soul, he wanted to reach across the space and liberate the soft globes of flesh just to determine whether the nipples would be rose-colored, like her name! He was betting they were.

Yep, the Veela lust for his mate was clearly kicking-in. He knew it would only intensify if he actually touched her, so he made a mental note not to do so, not even to shake her hand, not wanting to become a slave to her before he had a chance to similarly entice her.

That didn't mean he couldn't look his fill, though. His gaze traveled up and over her throat towards her face. She had a semi-rounded structure to her features, with a sharp jaw and chin, and a defined neckline. The juxtaposition was perfect, however, as her eyes were not too close-set, her face not too squat, her nose sloped just right, her lips plump enough, and her forehead sat a proper height. Her eyebrows were well shaped, her reddish-brown lashes long and thick, her earlobes adorably petite. Overall, she was rather striking, and the color of her eyes and hair magnetized the observer.

Yeah, he could definitely fuck her on a regular basis and probably never tire of the chore. He'd just have to figure out a way to make better use of that mouth of hers to keep her from snapping off scathing witticisms to ruin his mood. He genuinely liked the idea of having those lips wrapped around his…

"Is that all right with you, Scor?" his father asked him, drawing him out of his internal monologue.

Not wanting to admit he'd been caught not paying attention, he shrugged indifferently. "Fine."

The server went away, and there was another of those queer pauses. Oddly enough, it was Rose who broke it this time. "Perhaps now would be appropriate timing to discuss why you requested this meeting?" she calmly appealed, although there was a definite bite to her demeanor and her eyes were positively glacial.

He traded a look with his father, who simply nodded for him to take the reins. This was, after all, his show. Scorpius cleared his throat again behind a polite fist. "Rose, I realize it's been years since we last talked," he began, but was cut off before he'd gotten any further by the sound of her disbelieving 'hmmmph.'

"We've never _talked_, Malfoy. Mostly you've insulted, I've defended," she pointedly reminded him.

Incredulity smattered his thoughts and features and crept into his tone as he rebutted. "As I recall, you did your fair share of slighting and prodding back when we were kids."

He'd expected her to deny it. She didn't. Instead, she smirked. "We've still never _talked_. Yelled, shouted, upset, tripped, knocked over, loomed menacingly, slighted, frightened, spit at, hexed, sneered, scowled, laughed at derisively, unsettled, and affronted are more correct adjectives to address the actions between us, so stop pretending that we have ever, in any fashion, been civil to each other long enough to simply _talk_."

His mind grabbed onto one glaring error in her diatribe. "I have _never_ spit at you. As I recall correctly, it was just the opposite – Third Year, you got me square on the cheek." He grit his jaw. "And you forgot to add screamed, shrieked, roared, hollered, bellowed, tricked, confused, disconcerted, unsettled, jinxed, demoralized, sniggered at, smacked, kicked, and pinched to that list. Those were some of your best moves, after all."

Somewhere in the middle of his rant, her smirk fell and a sparkle took up residence in her eye. Now they were back to their 'comfort zone' – hurling insults - and both were feeling more relaxed. "Well, we can cross off buying you a Thesaurus for your birthday," she snidely joked, taking a sip from her cup. "Seems your education paid off, Malfoy. Your family would be proud."

"I am," his father finally spoke up, a barely concealed grin plastered to his handsome features. He traded a look with Mrs. Weasley. "And I had trouble believing him when he called your daughter a spit-fire."

Hermione chuckled lightly. "That must come from her father's side."

His father's mocking grin became an outrageous smile that beamed all white teeth. "Oh, of course, Granger. She doesn't take after you _at all_. Not in looks nor in temperament."

Granger?

Scorpius knew Hermione and Ronald Weasley had divorced a few years back, but he hadn't been aware she'd retaken her maiden name. Or perhaps his father was just used to referring to the woman in such a manner from their school days? Whatever the provocation, that little exchange between his father and Mrs. Weasley was the first time Scorpius could recall his dad happy since his mother had died.

It seemed that at least one of them might get lucky with a Weasley in this lifetime...

He turned back to Rose and tried to recapture the point of his original discourse, getting back on track. "In any case, Rose, things are different now. It's been seven years, and we're not children anymore. People change."

Rose tried to stifle the skeptical laugh that erupted from her mouth with her hand, precariously balancing her tea cup to keep the contents from spilling. "I'm afraid some things will _never_ change Malfoy."

His brows lowered at the same time as his mouth. "Meaning?"

Rose's features settled into cold, uncaring angles and shadows. "Meaning, there are some universal truths you can't ignore no matter how polite you pretend to be for a day."

"For example?" he prompted, curious as to the inner workings of her mind, but simultaneously dreading the answer.

Delicately putting her tea cup back down in its saucer, his redheaded temptation folded her hands in her lap, staring him down with all seriousness. "To begin, you continue to be an unapologetic chauvinist. You change your girlfriends out now as frequently as you changed your arm-ornament of the day back in Sixth and Seventh Years. The society pages are rife with the details of the line of broken hearts you so casually have left behind since we graduated. You have always treated women like disposable items, Malfoy, showing them little-to-no respect."

Well, that wasn't a very fair analogy, he thought. He was a good-looking, young bachelor with a title and wealth behind him. Women used _him_ with equal abandon, if only to get their five-minutes of fame as his date, or to get him to spend money on their whims. Why should he be punished for enjoying the offerings presented to him under such false pretense? It was a mutual understanding of usery, as far as he was concerned.

He was cut off from countering Rose's biased understanding of the circumstances of his hook-ups, however, when she mustered on towards a second point against him. "Then there's the fact that you don't take anything seriously enough to apply yourself to it with true devotion, despite your obvious talents. You still don't have a job, according to _The Tattling Witch_, nor do you aspire to be anything more than an irresponsible, spoiled rich boy living off your trust fund," she accused, her eyes glittering with ire, "attending as many lavishly lewd, bacchanalian parties on weekends as possible and dodging your potential - just as you had at seventeen when you engaged in marathon House crawling any night of the week, like it was some kind of Muggle Olympic sport, and treated your studies with nonchalance, accepting second best."

She had him there. Scorpius had always been somewhat lacksadasical about life, but that was only because he'd known from the time he'd been in nappies what his future held for him (aside from the whole Veela business, that was): to someday learn the family business and take over when his father retired (once he took over for his grandfather, Lucius). It wasn't like he was free to aspire to do anything else. He was a Malfoy, and the Malfoy heir ran their familial empire until he was able to pass it on to his son. It had been that way forever. But his take-over was another seventy-five years off, at least. In the meantime, what was a long-lived wizard to do, other than enjoy his days - and take advantage of the trappings of his family's wealth? He certainly wasn't going to stand before the world as a spokesperson for male Veela! What he, his father, and his grandfather were was "The Big Family Secret," told only to those who needed to know (like mates and their immediate families, and certain Ministry officials), and then all were sworn to secrecy. As for his other skills, he'd been a fair Seeker, but not good enough for professional leagues, and his best magical talents hadn't been learned at Hogwarts in his classes, but from reading restricted books in the school or his family's libraries, or in bed with paramours who were willing to teach him the more shifty spellcraft of magical seduction. It's not like he could advertise those little (mostly illegal) talents, either.

Rose continued her damning "_Top Ten List of Reasons To Hate Scorpius_" without pause. "Shall I even mention the fact that your mouth is still as sharp and antagonistic as when we were kids? You bark vicious, Malfoy. Clearly, you've never learned to reign in that temper of yours." She sniffed in disapproval, turning that pointed little nose up. "And for the record, I will _always_ believe you to be a fundamentally unlikeable wizard. You're not even half the man your cousin is, honestly. That belief is never going to change, either, no matter how fancy the tea date."

Scorpius grit his back teeth together hard, feeling a pain like sharp glass grind its way under the skin of his chest. Disenchanted by her unwillingness to get to know the real him better, to allow self-righteous prejudice to taint her thoughts, and downright infuriated by the comparison she'd made between he and Corwin... "_I've_ never reigned in my mouth or temper? You're unbelievable! Pot calling kettle!" he snidely remarked. "So, I've got some flaws. Well, here's a news flash, Miss Perfect: _you do, too._ You're just as foul tempered as I am - always have been. Your words still stab just as heavily as mine. You still enjoy mistreating and mocking me, like it's some sort of personal goal in your life to see me brought low or to heel - something that hasn't changed since the first time we met on the train to Hogwarts, when I casually approached you with my hand out to say hello and you slammed the compartment door on it." The memory alone made his hand twitch and his temper boil. He'd had to see Madam Pomfrey after his house sorting because two fingers had been broken; he'd spent the whole trip to the castle and all through the ceremony in agony because of it. "You're still stuck on blood status and class, too. Overly defensive much? You don't see me caring a flying wuzzle about such things. As you so blatantly pointed out, I could care less how pure a woman's magical talent is at the end of the night. I accept those witches for who they are - including the fact that what they want from me is a bit of fun. _And for the record_," he mocked, throwing her terms back at her,_ "_you're the one picking a fight this time, Weasley. _I'm_ actually trying my best here to promulgate a reserved discussion – to _cultivate talking_ between us for once. But perhaps you're right and we're too much a tired, foul mix of oil and water, unable to start over, no matter the sincere effort. You'll never see me as anything other than your school rival. I get it. Big surprise there."

Rose had clamped her lips shut during the middle of his proclamation, and now simply stared at him through narrowed, measuring eyes. Scorpius scowled and sat back in his chair, gazing at her in bitter resentment, mentally cursing his fate for the zillionth time. He could give a fuck what his dad and her mum thought, honestly, so he didn't bother to pay them any mind.

Eerily, no one said a word in refutation, and the atmosphere was decidedly raw and uncomfortable when the server appeared an instant later with a decorative cart full of sandwiches, fruit, and a selection of cheeses. Another server presented their first tea to pair with the meal. Scorpius stomach was decidedly too sour for food, so he sipped at his hot Uva instead, staring down at the table sullenly.

What the fuck did he do now? Rose had made it abundantly clear that she wasn't interested in even being politely social with him, much less allowing him the opportunity for openly courting her. And yet, he was stuck. He had no choice but to win her over. Not mating her was absolutely out of the question, since he needed an heir someday, and he didn't want to have to force himself on her. He wanted her to come very willing and fantastically eager to his bed every time.

The servers left them to their first course, and it was Mrs. Weasley who tried to salvage the conversational mess they'd been mired down in. Scorpius tuned out so he could engage in some internal debate.

What was the rush anyhow? He didn't need an heir immediately, right? There was no hurry to go and spawn a kid right now. And his dad had said he could still have sex with other women, despite his change. The bonus was now he wouldn't have to worry about pregnancy charms or potions to prevent an 'accident,' and he had incredible sexual endurance and stamina (as he'd discovered the night of his transformation). Rose was only just barely twenty-five, after all, her birthday this past February. She could have kids well into her forties if he didn't go through with the mating ceremony now (that number was doubled for mated women, as the aging process was slowed down dramatically for them, extending their reproductive life cycle, or so he'd read). So, why not sow his oats a little longer and enjoy the single life while the getting was good?

Under the table, his father lightly tapped him with his foot. As if reading his thoughts, the man growled low, so that only the two of them could hear. "Forget it," he murmured under his breath as Mrs. Weasley engaged Rose on the topic of the Harpies. "I know what you're thinking. It won't be the same with someone else. Trust me. And it'll damage her trust."

Scorpius huffed in sarcastic amusement. "What trust? You heard her. She hates me. Truthfully, I'm not particularly fond of her either."

"She'll hate you more if she ever finds out you fooled around on her after finding out she was your mate," his old man predicted. "Besides, you're giving up too easily. Nothing worth having is going to be effortless."

"What's effortless?" Hermione inquired, her talk with Rose obviously hitting a lull, allowing her to partially tune back into the other discussion at the table.

As smooth as silk, his father replied with a charming exaggeration. "Enjoying the pleasure of your company again, of course."

Rose's eyebrow lifted at that and she cheekily grinned at Draco. "Slick," she complimented the older wizard.

His father smiled at her graciously and nodded his thanks. "Years of practice."

Just like that, something inside Scorpius switched on and he felt hot, irrational jealousy burn through his gut. His mouth opened and before he could filter his words, out popped a scathingly vitriolic innuendo – one vile even for him.

"Shall I book you two a room at _The Broomstick_, then? I hear they have great rates by the hour."

Three sets of jaws dropped in shock and ire and the table went even more eerily silent than earlier. He sneered over at Rose, his chest on fire, his head buzzing in cynical fury. "This was a mistake. All of it." He got up, leaving his plate empty and his tea cup only marginally sipped at, tossing his napkin down rudely. "Mate or not, I'm not wasting my time on someone who would rather smilingly trod all over my rotting corpse than attempt a courteous conversation with me - especially as it's clear she prefers the company of my father anyway. I'd rather just live and die alone, thanks all the same."

With that, he stormed out, feeling foolish for trying, for lusting after Rose _swanking _Weasley at all, and for that small part of him that had really wanted it to work out, no matter their past. He was growling by the time he'd freed his wand from his inner robe pocket, but had to walk around for a bit to cool off for fear of splinching if he attempted Apparation.

He stomped down the street and randomly stopped in front of _Spintwitches_, looking in the window, absently noting a sale on broom polish. To his utter surprise, his on-again, off-again friend-with-benefits, Eleri Nott, found him in that moment. "Hey, Scor," the pretty, dark-haired brunette greeted him as she stood at his side, looking into the front curved window, feigning interest in the sale as well.

His relationship with Eleri had always been one of convenience and privacy; neither broadcast to the world that they'd been secretly doing the horizontal sweat swim since they'd been sixteen, mostly because Scorpius didn't want Eleri getting too attached, in case she wasn't his mate (which it turned out was the case), and Eleri didn't want her name tied to Scorpius because she liked keeping her options open when it came to men sharing her bed.

It was for those reasons now that she didn't reach out for him, nor did she intimate that they were more than friends right there in the main lane, per their previous agreement when they met in public.

"Hi, El," he returned, calling her by the pet name he'd adopted sometime back in school. "Kind of in a foul mood right now," he forewarned her.

She hummed in consideration, clasped her hands behind her back innocently, and leaned forward to appear interested in the window display. "Want to take your mind off it?"

Scorpius considered the proposal, knowing exactly what she was intimating. Maybe it would do him some good to work off this frustration that gnawed its way through his bones. And with Eleri, he knew there would never be strings attached. "Sure."

"A or B?" she asked nonchalantly, pulling away from the window slightly.

That was their code for choosing a "safe" location to engage in their extracurricular activities that they'd adopted back when they'd first started having sex. "A" was his dormitory, "B" hers. Now, of course, it referred to houses.

"B," he firmly decided, not wanting to run into his father any time soon. He knew the man would politely stay with the Weasley women for another hour at least, as propriety required, but then he'd head right home. Scorpius didn't plan on being anywhere near ground zero until tomorrow at least. "All night?"

Eleri tilted her head in deliberation, and smiled warmly. "Sounds like fun." She tapped him on the shoulder in a friendly manner. "See you, Scor."

He nodded, and moved off in the opposite direction, internally grinning like the shark he was.

Fifteen minutes later, he had Eleri pinned against the wall of her flat, and he was fucking her strong and hard, their clothes half-off, half-on as they'd rushed into the coupling, both frantic for a powerful release. Five minutes after he came the first time, he wanted more, feeling incomplete. He took her on her dining table next (shucking the rest of their clothing in the process), then in the hallway getting to her bedroom, then finally on her bed. Each time he came, he shot off a load of jizz, but it just wasn't as satisfying as it had been previous to his transformation.

In the aftermath, he lay panting, staring up at El's too white ceiling, and cursed, knowing what this meant for him: he'd never feel the same mind-blowing release as he had previously without his mate under him now.

When his current bed partner quietly asked him what was wrong, Scorpius opened his mouth… and out tumbled all his secrets, imprudently divulged in a deluge that left him feeling empty when he'd finished his tale.

Eleri said nothing for the longest time, and when he turned his head, he noted her usual whimsical smile was absolutely beaming now. "Your problem with Rose is simple: she sees you as you were, not who you are today. Not that you've changed so much since Seventh Year, but you have matured somewhat." The fascinating witch who had always been a trusted confidant (well, ever since they'd begun their little affair, almost a decade previous) turned her violet-colored, radiant orbs on him. "If you want to win her, you're going to have to swallow your pride - a lot. She's the type to hold a grudge." She turned on her side and leaned on one palm, looking at him archly. "Oh, and scrap your jealousy issues, because you've got _major_ competition and you'll turn her off if you come across as an obsessive stalker."

Scorpius' chest tightened up. "Competition? Who?"

Eleri snickered knowingly. "The worst kind, of course: family."

He expelled a deep breath, feeling like someone had just kicked him right in the gut. "Corwin, the _fucking_ former Prince of Gryffindor."

His part-time lover nodded. "Lucky that you were the King of Slytherin, huh?"

Yeah, he had been, hadn't he? He'd ruled his roost – and most of Hogwarts – the entire time they'd matriculated. He still had a few tricks up his sleeve he could employ to make Rose his. "It's lucky for me I'm bedding the clandestine Queen of Slytherin, then," he pointed out, slyly casting Eleri a glance out of the corner of his eye. "And that I just happen to know where to buy her most favorite chocolates in the whole world. That I own a majority share in that company, in fact. Perhaps she could be persuaded to help me woo my mate in exchange for being gifted some of that precious stock?"

"Perhaps I could be persuaded by such things," she agreed with a greedy smile, her fingertips reaching down to stroke his cock back up into readiness. "After all, I'd be helping two of my closest friends find happiness, right?"

Scorpius raised one golden eyebrow at her, his hand traveling south to cover hers, encouraging her fondling of his naughty bits by applying more pressure to the hold she'd taken of him and gliding her up and down over his hardening flesh. "It doesn't bother you that you're shagging a man who's destined to mate and marry one of your best girlfriends soon?"

Eleri shook her head. "You were mine first. We broke each other in, remember? Besides, you just said that she's not interested. Until she is... I have needs, too, and honestly Scor, I don't mind being the other woman if I can keep having _this_." She licked her lips eagerly, her eyes sparkling with hot-blooded lust again as she fisted him with more determination. "I love the feel of you, I love what you do to me, and I love that you don't mind experimenting. So why shouldn't we keep fucking?"

Scorpius grinned lasciviously. Why the hell not? It's not like he'd be getting any from Rose anytime soon, and it's not like he didn't like screwing Eleri. Besides, his needs were greater now that his Veela side - apparently a _very_ sexual creature - had emerged. "You find a way to help me get Rose to agree to not fight the mating, to submit willingly, and I'll give you half the stock. And as to our... other arrangements... we'll keep doing things as we've always done them - discreetly, at least once a week, or more if we both agree. And we'll have to renegotiate all of this after Rose is finally mine. It will depend on how well things go with her, but let's just say that right now, I'm not completely disagreeable to the idea of continuing what we have."

"Sounds good to me. You've got yourself a deal, Scor," Eleri agreed with a wicked smirk, dipping her head and lapping her tongue over his crown, licking off the stickiness slowly.

Reaching out, Scorpius fisted a hand through her silky, dark hair, and lowered her head onto his length, thrusting upwards into his lover's mouth. He moaned deep as she pulled back, sucking hard. "Oh, _yeah_... I knew I could count on you, El."

* * *

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S EXTENDED NOTES:**_

_**Uva**_** = A fine flavoured tea grown at altitudes between 2,000ft and 4,000ft above sea level on the eastern slopes of the Central Mountains in Sri Lanka. It has a bright, deep amber colour when brewed, with the brisk and crisp, strong Ceylon flavour. These teas are also used in Ceylon blend and make an ideal morning drink or an after-lunch tea.**


	4. Chapter 4: Casualty of Truth

_**CHAPTER 4: CASUALTY OF TRUTH**_

_**Saturday, June 28th, 2031 (afternoon to night)**_

Rose slumped back in her chair, staring at the rim of her forgotten tea cup as it sat forlornly on its matching patterned saucer, her mind unable to grasp what she'd just been told by her mother.

Scorpius was a Veela.

She was his mate.

Theirs would be a legally binding, irrevocable marriage, sanctioned and enforced by the Ministry.

She had absolutely no choice in the matter.

"Rose, honey?" her mother's warm hand on her cool arm was gentle, but insistent. "Say something. You've been silent for over ten minutes now."

It was an effort to form coherent sentences. Random thoughts were all she could grab onto at the moment. "But… he hates me," she stammered, her breath hitching, her body twitching and shaking, as the protection of shock began to fade. "And… Cor," she mumbled, feeling tears of frustration finally gather. "We're together, mum."

Mr. Malfoy hissed in astonishment on a deep inhale. "You're seeing Corwin?"

Rose nodded as the hateful tears that stung her eyes began overflowing in hot rivulets. "Please say this is a lie." She closed her eyes, choking on a sob. "Say it's a joke."

Scorpius' father was sincerely contrite. "I'm sorry, Miss Weasley, but my family is the only remaining, continuous male Veela lineage in the world. We have no choice, either."

There had to be a way out of this. There just _had _to be! Maybe something she could give… "I'll tell him I'm sorry for always being so mean to him. I'll get on my knees and kiss his feet in apology. I'll never utter another cruel thing to him again, I swear it!" Her hands were shaking as she clasped them together in front of her, praying for a blessing to save her from this fate. "I'll give him every single Snitch I've ever kept from every game I've ever played. He can have them all," she desperately bargained. "I'll… I'll even sleep with him once, if he wants." Her mother gasped at the scandalous suggestion. "Please, just don't make me marry him!" she begged.

Her mother put a comforting hand over hers and she knew then there would be nothing she could offer to fix this. "Honey, this isn't something you can try to negotiate," her mum softly explained. "Scorpius doesn't have a choice either."

"Miss Weasley, you have to understand," Mr. Malfoy interjected gently. "Veela don't choose their mates. The magic does. And being mated isn't the same as marriage. It's… biological, chemical, and spiritual. It's not something you're going to be able to fight."

Rose grit her teeth and stood suddenly, reaching deep into the well of her darkest anger and grabbing a hold of that fury for strength. "Oh, yeah? Just watch me," she vehemently snarled, grabbing her clutch and running from the tea shop. She dashed her tears away with swift hands, and after regaining control, Dispparated out to the home of the only person she could talk to about her massive Veela problem: her Aunt Fleur.

**X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X**

"I am sorry, _ma petite_, but zee Veela mating eeze… how you say? Unbreakable," her aunt explained in exacting honesty, refilling her glass of iced tea from the glass pitcher in the center of the table. Ice cubes crackled as the chilled amber liquid poured over them, knocking the single slice of lemon about chaotically in the swirling fluid. "My Dominique would know more. She ees expert on Veela, but... zees man, you say he eeze zee son of zat reformed Death Eater, _non_?"

Rose nodded numbly. She'd plastered all her hope on Fleur knowing a way to break the enchantment between she and Scorpius, but it seemed her aunt was actually rather happy with the match, despite the connection her 'mate' had to the Dark Arts.

"Well, zat eeze za past," the blonde witch, who was one-quarter Veela herself, nodded firmly. "Zings change."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Rose exploded to her feet, angry, pacing furiously. "Sometimes, a person's past – the bad things they do - _should _be held against them!"

Fleur's piercing blue eyes stopped her in her tracks, and Rose floundered for a moment under the weight of so hard a stare. "Eef zat was true, I would not have married Bill." Her aunt indicated the vacated chair across from her. "Sit. I will tell you a secret."

Hesitantly, Rose resumed her seat, feeling a dreadful hollow open up in the pit of her stomach. Whatever her aunt was going to tell her, she intuitively knew it would be something _bad_.

Taking a moment more to compose herself, sipping from her tea to whet her lips first, her Aunt Fleur began speaking in her heavily accented English. "When your Oncle Bill was attacked by zat evil wolfman, Greyback, he seemed fine for many months. When we married, _c'est_ _magnifique_! We vere so in love! But zen, zere came zee Harvest Moon in zee Fall. Bill… changed. Not into zee wolf form, but… eet was like he _was_ a wolfman. He was… violent."

Cold stole into Rose's heart. Oh, gods! She _knew_ what her aunt was going to say next.

"He… forced heemself on me many times zat night," the brave, blonde witch explained, her lips tight, her spine rigid, her eyes focused on the wall to the left and behind Rose. Clearly, the memory of her assault was very painful to speak of. "Eet was 'orrible. Zee next day, I left heem. I knew I was pregnant from what he did; a Veela always knows when she conceives. I almost did not forgive."

Rose swallowed, asking the hard question. "What made you go back?"

Those fathomless blue depths turned on her once more, and her lips upturned in a sad smile. "Even though I am 'uman, at my heart, I am also mated Veela. I cannot live without Bill. He eeze my soul."

"But… he _hurt _you!" Rose protested, not understanding, shaking her head.

Fleur put a hand over hers to silence her. "Zee call of zee wolf to breed heeze mate was… how you say?... made more intense from zee red moon and from zee Veela mating. I understand zees. He could not stop heemself." She removed her hand and took another sip of her drink. "Zee point eeze, _ma petite_: I forgive Bill for 'urting me so much. I love heem with all I am. If I had stayed away and broken zee Veela bond, We would both never be 'appy again, and _ma_ _bébé, _Victoire, would not have been born."

Rose clinged to the one thing her aunt had just said, feeling a spark of hope ignite in her chest. "So, there _is_ a way to break a Veela bond?"

Fleur looked at her evenly for a moment, and then shook her head firmly. "I absolute do not recommend zees idea, Rose. Veela are _très_ possessive of zere mate once zey have gone through zee ritual and zee magic has chosen zee person. You would either 'ave to go far away and keep running forever – for your Malfoy, he would stop at nothing to find you - or you would 'ave to get pregnant with another man's _bébé, _which could make your Malfoy go mad and kill you and zee other man heemself now zat he knows you are heez. And zee Ministry… zey _will not_ allow you to escape from a Veela once you are legally known to 'im or 'er as zere mate through zee ritual. Zey _will_ force zee bonding ceremony – and in front of others to… how you say?... witness. I do not think you want such a thing to be public, as zee first mating eeze very… intense. Eef you get pregnant to escape your Malfoy… zee Ministry will not allow zee _bébé _to be born. Zee law is very strict."

Crimson heat blooming all up and down her body, Rose swallowed heavily. "So, let me get this straight: if I don't… mate… with Scorpius, and I try to run from him, he'll hunt me down. If he doesn't kill me himself, the Ministry will help him drag me back in chains to be his obedient little sex slave. If I try to trick him and get pregnant with another man's baby, and Malfoy doesn't kill all of us in a fit of jealous rage, the Ministry will force me to have an abortion. And after all is said and done, they'd still force me into some kind of barbaric, sexual ritual in front of a room full of voyeurs to ensure he raped me properly?" She grit her teeth in fury. "What kind of fucked up world are we living in? This is not the Dark Ages!"

Fleur tilted her head casually, but her eyes had darkened perceptively, and her face was tight with anger. "Eef you reject your Malfoy now zat he knows you are heez mate through zee ritual, you will… how you say?... condemn him. He will go mad. He will have to be killed. Zees is why zee Ministry eeze so… how you say?... unforgiving."

Heated resentment over her predicament bubbled up inside Rose, scalding her cheeks with tears once again. "It's not fair. I don't want to marry him! I don't love him! I love someone else!"

Her aunt's hand on hers was calming, gentle. "_Ma petite_, I fought my fate, too. I knew Bill was mine zee moment we met, but I refused heem. He was so poor, and he dressed funny, and he didn't treat me as other men. He refused to do as I wanted, made me get my own coffee and pastry, would not serve me as so many other wizards willingly did. He meanly called me 'princess' and 'your Majesty' in zee mocking voice. We fought _a lot_. Eet was when I found heem having sex with another woman that I realized I loved heem." Those small, pale hands patted Rose's fingers kindly. "And true, you will never be able to love zis other man as you will your Malfoy. Zee bond between Veela and mate eeze more zan simple 'uman marriage. Eet eeze a soul binding."

The hot tears burned, stinging and aching as Rose put her head down over her aunt's hands and wept from her soul. "I hate Scorpius. He hates me."

Her aunt's free hand began softly stroking her hair, soothing and tender. "_Non, ma petite._ Your Malfoy… he will love you with all he eeze, if you will let him. He already does. Eet is why hees magic chose you."

**X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X**

The dreams began that night.

Rose found herself dressed in a plain, white cotton summer dress with thin shoulder straps, barefoot, sitting on a bench surrounded by grass in a very well-manicured, indoor garden filled with the same varietal flowers as her namesake. Every color was represented, and the shapes were astounding – some delicate and open, others tightly budded, small blooms and large both. Light poured in from above, through a rounded window turret. The glass surrounding the vast greenhouse was spotless, and the air a little humid. Various species of butterfly danced from bloom to bloom, landing on delicate petals and sipping of sweet nectar.

"Beautiful."

She recognized the voice instantly, and knew this had to be a dream, because there was no way in the seven hells she could be anywhere near the real Scorpius Malfoy right now without wanting to throttle him. With a sigh, she watched a Painted Lady butterfly, its orange and black patterned wings fluttering in a stately rhythm, drink its fill from a gorgeous pink tea hybrid rose. "Yes, they are."

His presence approached slowly, his shadow stopping as it crossed hers. His hands were in the pockets of his slacks, according to the silhouette. "I didn't mean the butterflies or the flowers."

Rose ground her teeth together in irritation. "Why are _you_ in my dreams? I don't want to see you right now."

He was silent for a moment. "I know."

"I hate you," she spat.

"I know." He sounded exhausted. "I'm sorry, Rose. Believe me, I didn't expect this either."

Those hateful tears prickled her eyes again and she sniffed, wiping them away. "Then let me go."

His sigh was resigned and his shadow shifted as he nervously transferred his weight from one foot to the other, then back again. "I can't, even if I wanted to. This… it happened a long time ago and it can't be undone."

"You did it," she hissed in fury. "You can bloody well undo it, or so help me Malfoy, I'll make your life miserable. I swear it." She whirled around to stare him down. The sunlight made it hard to see his features, and she had to squint and put up a hand to shield her eyes, however, this action did nothing to diminish the vehemence of her obvious displeasure. "I will not be your little sex slave, chained to you against my will!"

Scorpius moved to block the sun for her so she could put her hand down and see him finally. His blue, cotton t-shirt – Muggle style, to her amazement – was drawn tightly over his chest, and tucked neatly into a pair of snug Muggle jeans. He was barefoot as well. "And I wouldn't want you to be!" he growled, his anger showing through. "I want this to be good between us. Why do you think I tried to talk to you today? But you wouldn't have any of it, would you?"

Rose's heart stopped and her chest tightened. "This isn't a dream, is it?"

Her rival stared stonily down at her with enigmatic, ice grey eyes. "It's a dream."

"One you're controlling," she accused, standing and stepping back away from him. "Somehow you've forced me in here, while I'm sleeping."

Scorpius smirked. "Not much force was required, Rose. You opened right up for me."

Her panicked gaze flew around, as she desperately looked for a way out. "Let me go! LET ME GO!"

Malfoy sat on the stone bench she'd just vacated, straddling it to watch her. He'd lost his amusement in a heartbeat, and was now clearly annoyed. "Not until we've had our talk. You owe me this much, Weasley."

"I owe you nothing! _NOTHING!_" she screamed at him, clenching her fists by her side, her breath coming in pants. "You've ruined everything for me, Scorpius! You've fucked me over royally!"

He paused, spoke deadpan. "Not yet, but I will."

In three steps, she'd reached him and drew her hand back for the hardest slap she'd ever cuffed him. His cheek turned with the force of the blow, but faster than she'd ever seen him move before, he had her in his arms. Brutally, he threw them both down on a fantasy bed that he conjured on the fly, and he sat upon her with all his weight, holding her wrists by her ears with hardly any effort. Looking up at his infuriated countenance, feeling so utterly overwhelmed by the sheer strength in his grip and thighs, Rose was suddenly _very_ terrified.

"Don't," she choked on the plea as he brought his face down to hers.

He stopped mere centimeters from her lips, his irises gone liquid silver, like mercury. "We could force you to our will, pretty mate," his voice warned. It sounded weird, like a confluence of two voices – Scorpius' and another she'd never heard before. Was this his Veela self merging with the human? Aunt Fleur had explained after she'd calmed down earlier that a Veela male had two sides, just as the female of the species. Both male and female Veela appeared as winged creatures, but where the female change into Harpy-like monsters, the males took on the mythological aspect of fallen angels. As she looked up into Malfoy's face now… Shadows decorated his cheek bones, his hair appeared longer, shaggier, his eyes practically glowed, and there was the illusion of gossamer eagle's wings sprouting from his back. "We could take what is ours _now_," he stated very matter-of-factly. His nose moved along her cheek as he sniffed her, inhaled deeply. "We could give you the first mark right here in this dream, on this bed. You would come to us willingly tomorrow," he spoke with the utmost assurance, breathing hot air across her ear and throat, making her shiver in terror. "We could _make_ you love us."

She swallowed three times before she found her voice. "It wouldn't be love. It would be an illusion - a forced lie."

His face came back up and around, and those alien eyes looked hungrily down at her. Scorpius was breathing hard. His lids slid shut and he looked to be in pain, as if he were fighting that inner Veela nature back. "I know," he grit, sweat dotting his forehead, dripping down to splash against her cheek. "That's why… I don't want to force you!"

With a violent shudder, the shadows withdrew from Malfoy's face, the illusion of the Veela retreating. Silently, she watched the reverse transformation with awe. Several minutes later, it was gone, and only Scorpius remained, exactly as she'd always known him to look, only… weaker, tired again. As if all the strength had been sapped from him in the previous struggle for control against his bestial side, he collapsed atop her heavily. Limbs shaking, he pressed his face into her neck as he struggled to right his lungs and his fast-beating heart. "I don't want that," he murmured over and over again. "I don't want to take you like _that_."

Something deep within Rose's heart stabbed fiercely at the suffering she heard in Malfoy's voice. He'd always been so caustic and swaggeringly arrogant, but now he sounded… well, _scared_. This was a side of Scorpius she wasn't sure she was prepared to experience. She wasn't certain what to do or say either, afraid of a resurgence of his animalistic side.

Quietly, they lay together for a long time – she had no idea how long, but it felt like a good half-hour or so passed – with him mounted atop her in a very intimate position, as if they were preparing for sex. Yet, he made no move to take advantage of their awkward arrangement, except to get the strength in his elbows back to take some of the pressure off of her chest.

"You really didn't arrange this purposefully, did you?" she finally accepted.

His sigh was deep, and when it blew across her shoulder, it caused goosebumps to travel up and down her skin. "Not consciously, no." With a flexing of his biceps and shoulders, he was able to lift himself up until they were nose-to-nose again. "Father says… he said the Veela within me picked you as its equal, magically speaking, the moment we first met. That it was the reason I was compelled to seek you out on the train and try to introduce myself to you." He licked his lips and swallowed heavily. "I swear to you, Rose, I never meant for this to happen. I was as shocked as you were at the choice."

There was no lie in his eyes, Slytherin to the soul that Malfoy was. "I… believe you," she murmured, suddenly entranced by the lips that were only a breath away from hers. They were such nicely shaped lips, pillowy soft and more than ample for kissing…

She blinked. What was the hell was she thinking? "Your Veela magic is pouring over me. Can you turn it off?" she asked politely, trying to keep it civil so long as he lay atop her in so dominating a position.

His brows lowered and his gaze shot to the side as he seemed to be internally considering something. Then he shook his head and looked back at her. "I don't know how. I only came into this… birthright… less than a week ago. I'm still… figuring it out."

As if realizing just then how intimate a position they were in, Scorpius' breathing slowed. They watched each other warily.

"I'll make you a deal, Rose," he murmured distractedly, his fingers moving, twirling through her hair softly. "I won't court you openly in the real world, yet. We'll meet here instead to talk, to get to know each other a little better. For as long as I can hold out, I'll try." He gave her a wry smile. "As I wanted to offer today, maybe we can start over." He put two fingers over her lips as she made to protest. "This is our reality now. You can't change it by arguing. I'd like to make this transition as… pleasant… for you as possible." Quicker than she could track, he was off her and on his feet again, staring down at her. "As you are aware, the alternative is… not so pleasant… but the outcome would be the same."

Her anger returning at the implied threat, Rose sat up stiffly, not liking the vulnerability of being on her back before this man. "You're threatening to rape me," she hissed as her fury began boiling to the surface again. Bunching her fists on the edge of the mattress, she edged her way to her feet slowly.

Malfoy didn't move, forcing her to slip past to regain her feet. He turned in her direction, tracking her, his hands shoved into his jeans pockets, as if he were trying to contain them from inappropriate action. "I wouldn't want it any more than you, but… this _thing_ inside me… Rose, it won't be denied. It _needs_ to bond with you soon. We didn't touch today, but just being close to you, in your presence… it was enough to awaken it within me." He gripped his head, running fingers through his short, platinum bangs and shook. "Even here, in this place, where I can only touch your magical soul, it's beating inside my head for me to mark you - as if we were physically together, instead of spiritually. It wants at you."

He closed his eyes and quivered rather violently again, and when his lids lifted once more, he tilted his head like a predatory bird and looked at her with returning hunger, the shadows creeping back in, the eyes shining metallic. "We _will _have you."

"Go straight to hell, you monster," she snarled, preparing to fight him with everything she had.

She needn't have bothered; Scorpius didn't move to touch her again. Instead, he simply smirked bitterly. "Too late," he informed her softly. "We are already there."

In a blink, he was gone, and the garden darkened perceptibly, the shadows fading out quickly, until the black melted around her, into her, and then she fell back into the realm of unconsciousness. Her sleep was not relaxing after that, however, and several times she awoke sweating, her body burning with arousal that, try as she might, she could not alleviate completely. Three self-induced climaxes in half an hour and it _still _wasn't enough to quell the aching lust that seared through her veins.

Malfoy, it seemed, wasn't the only one in hell.

**X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X**

_**Sunday, June 29th, 2031 (morning-afternoon)**_

A sip from a Draught of Peace had allowed Rose to finally catch some sleep that morning. She awoke around noon, and immediately Floo-called her friends, asking for them to meet her at three o'clock in the Alley.

As she now surrounded herself with her therapeutic support group for a little cold, sweet comfort at _Fortescue's_, Rose realized that she felt little better than she had yesterday. Even with Lily, Eleri, Alicia, Holly, Shannon, Lucy, and Molly surrounding her at the round café table, sharing in the healing power that was chocolate ice cream and hot fudge, she was uncharacteristically glum, almost desperately despondent even. Her girls were consoling her with gentle touches and soft words of sympathy as she poured out her soul, explaining the horrid situation she now found herself forced into as Malfoy's mate (including his newest trick invading her dreams, as well as her inability to find her body's complete satisfaction on her own), but none of the compassionate gestures or words, nor the uplifting potential of gelato, seemed to help remove the veil of depression that blanketed her heart.

"There's nothing to be done at all?" Lucy asked again. "Even your mum can't help?"

Rose shook her head, practically in tears again. "I'm going to lose Corwin. It took me so long to find him again… and he's… _gods_, I think I love him." Now she was sobbing, hiding away behind her hands. "If I hadn't let him go years back, we might be married by now and Malfoy would have to look elsewhere."

Molly petted her arm conciliatorily. "Honey, I don't think it works like that. You said that Aunt Fleur told you that a Veela's mate is determined from the moment they meet, and Malfoy confirmed that for you last night." She shook her head sadly. "I think… you'd have been made to divorce Corwin if things had worked out as you envision, and that would hurt _far_ worse."

She slumped, defeated. "Why me? Why did that bastard's magic choose me? He knows I loathe the very sight of him. That I hate him with everything inside of me."

There was a pregnant pause, the silence oddly strained.

"Do you?"

Rose jerked her head around to spear Eleri with astonished eyes. "What?"

Although they were the same age, her dark-haired friend seemed much older in that moment, giving Rose a piercing, knowing look. "I may have been sent to Slytherin, and you to Ravenclaw, Rosie, but that never stopped any of us from sitting together and hanging out all through school. I remember quite clearly that all you ever seemed to do was talk about Quidditch, Prefect duties, your studies and Malfoy – the last more than any other topic. You even managed to somehow work him into the other three topics any time you could manage it. It was always 'Scorpius, _this_,' or "Scorpius, _that_.' You schemed incessantly about how to get even with him for the smallest slight or how to put one over on him in some fashion or another." She held up a hand to cut off Rose, who was about to launch into a long-winded, well-rehearsed explanation. "No, let me finish. You can tear me up afterwards." Those odd lavender-colored eyes seemed to stare right into Rose's soul, making her quite uncomfortable. "You were furious every time he switched girlfriends, too, commenting about how you felt sorry for his witches for being so easily tricked. That kind of jealousy and animosity smacks of an obsessed, repressed attraction, not hate."

Molly, who was two (almost three) years Rose's senior, but had been sorted into Ravenclaw and assigned as Rose's Big Sister in the scholastic mentorship program that Hogwarts had incorporated the year she'd begun attending, picked up the baton next. "Hate to say it, Rosie, but Eleri is right. You _were_ rather preoccupied with Malfoy's comings and goings from day one. He was the topic of practically every conversation! You've never stopped following his story, either." She absently shook her long, dyed blonde bangs off her forehead. "Since the day you graduated, every time you've see him mentioned in _Witch Weekly_ or _The Daily Prophet_, you've blown your stack. That kind of anger, the years of antagonism… it's like some sort of twisted foreplay, honey pie."

Rose couldn't believe her ears. She nearly launched into a defensive rejection of the indictments from her friends when Lily's metal spoon clinked against her fluted ice cream sundae glass rather loudly as she set it down and pushed the setting into the center of the table. "Rosie, we've all seen it for years, but I think it's safe to say that none of us wanted to piss you off by being the first to question your behavior openly. Now, though… I think it's time you admit it: you've got a thing for Scorpius Malfoy. You always have."

Alicia nodded in agreement to the assessment, lips pursed tightly in apology.

Holly and Shannon traded a look and both shrugged simultaneously. "Agreed," they spoke as one, but added no more, simply staring at Rose with something akin to pity.

Glancing between her cousins and girlfriends – the women who were supposed to be on her side – Rose felt the stab of betrayal go deep. "You bitches," she sighed in melodramatic anguish, and sat back in her chair, laying her head back and staring up at the ceiling. "I hate all of you. You're not supposed to be on _his_ side. You're supposed to help me find a way out of this mess, _and_ help me curse him out, too."

To her immediate left, Lucy took one of her hands in her own, petting it reassuringly. Of all her girls, she and this red-headed, former dorm mate were the closest; point of fact they were more like sisters, rather than cousins. "You're my best friend, Rosie, and you know I'm behind you no matter what you do," Luce stated emphatically. "But I really think you should consider what's being said here. I know Malfoy was a git a lot of the time – believe me, _I know_. I remember your screaming matches, and the hexes flying back and forth, and the wads of paper you'd throw at each other in classes to flip each other off. But Rosie, I think it's safe to say he had a thing for you, too, beyond all of this Veela stuff. You might not have noticed it, but everyone else did. The boy couldn't take his eyes off of you for a minute during school."

"Yeah, remember that party in seventh year just after N.E.W.T.s finished, when everyone was smashed to hell on the Firewhiskey that Marcus Zabini snuck in?" Alicia reminded casually, licking her spoon. "Malfoy tricked you into following him into an empty corridor in the dungeons. Drunk as he was, he obviously intended to shag you. If Marshall Macmillan hadn't stepped in, you probably would have given it up, too. If that doesn't tell you he's been after you for a while, I don't know what would."

Rose blinked in confusion, her mind a total blank as to that alleged incident. "I don't remember that happening!"

Alicia snorted. She started stirring her spoon, making soup of her melting strawberry ice cream. "You were so pissed drunk you blacked out afterwards, so I'm not surprised. Macmillian said Scor had you against the wall and was smackin' on your neck, and his hands were up your skirt."

Gaping in appalled shock, Rose shot straight up in her chair. "What? Why the hell didn't you ever tell me about that?"

Alicia smirked and chuckled. "Would you have wanted me to remind you that your hands were down his pants and you were wanking him off at the same time, according to Macmillan?" she asked, shoving a spoonful of mushy dessert into her gob.

"You're lying! That couldn't have…" Rose accused, but left off at the simultaneous nodding all around. Lowering her voice, she leaned in and hissed at her friends. "Holy shit! You _absolute _bitches! You let that man-whore finger me and never let me kick his arse for it?"

Holly spoke up, finishing the last of her shared side of a banana split with her twin. "None of us had the guts to tell you then," she stated.

Shannon finished the thought, as they were often wont to do. "So instead, we blackmailed Marshall so he wouldn't report it."

"The goody-good Head Boy wasn't quite as innocent as he led on," Holly snorted mockingly. Her twin nodded in full agreement and the two burst into wicked snickers, but did not elaborate.

"Malfoy didn't seem to remember the incident at all when I fished around the next day," Alicia finished the tale. "He was as drunk as you were that night, so we all believed your secret was safe. Why upset you then and possibly bring shame down upon you? Better to let sleeping dogs lie and chalk it up to a mistake."

Rose's jaw practically hit the floor. "You knew- You let him- He-" she stammered, seemingly unable to complete a sentence. "I can't_fucking_ believe this!"

Across the table, Eleri cleared her throat. "I think we need to get back on topic. The fact of the matter, Rose, is that no matter your past with Malfoy, the laws on Veela mates are clear, aren't they? You don't have a choice about this mating and marriage. The Ministry is going to enforce it, whether you want it or not." She nervously adjusted her small, silver bowl that contained only remnants of her dessert now. "However, you _do _have a choice about how you go into this relationship with Malfoy. If you want a happy life, you're going to have to put your pasts behind you, and see what Scor has to offer you now." She shrugged, her attention fixated on the red, cotton napkin she'd politely folded up and placed next to her dish, fingering it absently. "Who knows? He might surprise you."

Rose shook her head. "I don't _want_ to have any kind of a life with Scorpius Malfoy. I'm already half in love with Corwin McLaggen!"

Luce held her hand a little tighter and gave her a pitying expression. "Rose..."

Pulling her hand away quickly, Rose firmly shook her head again. "No. Absolutely not! I'm not giving up on my dream guy for the man who spent all of our childhood tormenting me. I'm a Ravenclaw, and that means I use my brains to solve riddles. I'm just going to have to research this, hope I can find some obscure rule or reference to breaking a mating bond legally, so that if he comes at me, I'll have the Ministry's protection, not its coercion." Slamming her fist down on the table, she sat up straight in her chair, a path and purpose laid out before her and banishing her previous melancholy and defeatist attitude. With fervent sincerity, she issued her challenge boldly: "I spent all our school years beating Malfoy. I won't let that little, stuck-up swot win this time either!"

**X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X**

_**Sunday, June 29th, 2031 (late afternoon-evening)**_

Rose Floo'd immediately to her mum's cottage after leaving her friends at _The Leaky Cauldron_, hoping to get some legal advice and possible cajole the woman into helping her do some research into breaking Veela mate bonds.

"Mum? Are you here?" she called out, but there was no answer. "Mum?"

Not finding her in the small, comfortable front living area, she prowled through the back hallway, opening each door, calling out for her mother. When she arrived at the witch's bedroom, she stopped, eyes taking in the mess before her and putting two-and-two together quickly.

Nice, designer outfits - pant suits, dresses, skirts, blouses - were flung on the bed, some inside out, as if tried on hastily and discarded as unacceptable. Matching jewelry pieces were similarly strewn around the coverlet. Shoes were flung along the ground haphazardly, too. Clearly, her mum had been trying to put together a nice outfit for a date tonight. The idea made her chuckle, until she tried to envision the possible male options…

…and stopped on Draco Malfoy.

Oh, her mother _would not_ do that to her! She couldn't! If her mum got together with Mr. Malfoy, it would just make it more difficult for Rose to escape Scorpius' influence. Hell, knowing her mother, the woman would insist upon another 'double-date' scenario instead!

No, no, NO!

Biting her nails in growing anxiety, Rose sat on her mum's couch in the front room and waited for the woman to get home, hoping they could talk before Hermione Jean Granger Weasley did something irrevocable.

By one o'clock that next morning, it was clear her mother was out for the night and wouldn't be back in her own bed anytime soon.

Oh, fuck a duck… _WAS HER MOTHER ACTUALLY HAVING SEX WITH MALFOY'S DAD?_

The idea made her positively ill.

* * *

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	5. Chapter 4 ASIDE: 1st Second Chance

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

**This chapter is put as an "ASIDE" because the main story of "Second Chances" is really told from either Scorpius or Rose's perspectives, and this one is told from Hermione's (despite the fact that both father-son and mother-daughter are both getting second chances in their private lives with a significant other). **

**Just for future reference - there will be other "ASIDES" told by various other characters throughout the fic at random times. They will all contribute, in some way, to the main story arc, of course.**

**For this chapter, major questions are answered about the odd relationship between Draco and Hermione, and those answers set the stage for what Rose has to look forward to with Scorpius...**

**P.S. **_**UNSEENLIBRARIAN**_** so kindly beta'd this chapter and she did a MARVELOUS job (catching so many of my mistakes as I hastily tried to get this down out of my head). Please remember to thank her in your reviews for making this chappy so clean!**

**

* * *

**

_**CHAPTER 4 ASIDE: Hermione & Draco's Second Chance**_

_**Sunday, June 29th, 2031 (evening)**_

Hermione played with the clasp on her bracelet again, twirling it about nervously. "He still hasn't come home, then?" she asked her companion.

Draco Malfoy shook his platinum-blond head and ran a hand through his rakishly long bangs, putting his wine glass down on the small table between them. "No. I haven't seen or heard from him since yesterday's fiasco." He sheepishly peeked at her through golden lashes. "Again, I can only apologize for my son's poor behavior. I'm afraid he's inherited my sullen temper. I was much like him at that age. The Veela inside can be rather… irritable, at times."

Understandable, since Draco had been forced into a marriage-mating with Astoria Greengrass at that time.

"I admit to not knowing much at all about male Veela," she hedged. "There isn't a lot written from their perspective – mostly the female of the species. Could you, perhaps, enlighten me?" It was blatant innuendo, and she knew by her date's reaction – the light flaring of the nostrils, the expanding pupils – that he understood her message.

A silent moment passed between them, heated by what she knew to be a mutual attraction. "What would you like to know… specifically?" he cautiously asked.

Hermione considered how far she could take the topic. On the one hand, she could keep this discourse along a very objective, scientific route, inquiring facts merely for the sake of knowledge. Or, she could do as her heart was begging her to do and guide this line of questioning towards a more personal course, hoping that she'd get answers as to what went wrong – if anything at all did, that was to say – between she and Draco so long ago. And perhaps, at the same time, she could also determine if there was a chance for a future between them.

There was so much negative history connecting them, though, that she was afraid whether asking about those times might offend or anger him, or that the replies would anger and offend her.

They'd always been rather antagonistic from the get-go; two such diametrically opposed upbringings were bound to clash head-on, after all. But everything had changed for them both during the spring of Sixth Year, right after the whole _Sectumsempra_ incident. She'd gone to visit Malfoy in the medi-ward (actually, she'd snuck in after hours, but who was arguing semantics?) a day after he'd been admitted, to apologize for Harry's actions out of a sense of misplaced guilt, and to make sure Draco was recovering. She still didn't understand precisely why she'd felt compelled to be at Malfoy's side that night, but gone to him she had. At first, they'd argued in low voices, as he'd rejected her compassionate gestures. Then, in the heat of the moment, she'd gotten too close. As her hand had touched his, powerful, undeniable, seductive magic poured between them, and the next thing she'd known, she was in his arms.

They'd spent _hours _heatedly, tremulously kissing and slowly exploring each other after that, confessing to forbidden feelings that both of them had secretly harbored for the other, but could never say aloud. He'd taken her virginity that night, right there in the ward's cot, both trying to be quiet about it, but failing miserably, so enchanted by each other as they had been. It had taken a strong silencing charm from her wand, cast at the moment she'd lost her shirt, to save them from alerting Filch or Madam Pomfrey, for their cries had been loud and lusty, and they'd moved the metal frame of the old, creaky bed as their bodies desperately, recklessly thrust together in three separate unions. No contraceptive charm had been cast that night, so lost in the moment had they been, but despite their recklessness, no conception occurred. It had been a trembling, frightening and delicious experience for both of them – one she'd never forgotten.

They had, to date, never spoken of that stolen moment, however, for it brought up both beautiful and sad memories; for only weeks later, Dumbledore had been murdered, and Draco had disappeared with Snape.

After that, Hermione had vowed to forget what had happened with Draco Malfoy, locking the incident away in her heart. He'd thrown his lot in with the Death Eaters, and she'd had a Dark Lord to help defeat, and somewhere along that path, she'd entangled herself with Ron to help herself forget.

In the end, marrying Ron had helped the wizarding community to rebuild; it gave them hope to see such obvious happiness found by Harry Potter and his two best friends in the post-Voldemort world. She had given Ron two beautiful children as a result, and she had raised them the best she could, while simultaneously pursuing a career at the Ministry, helping to rewrite archaic laws against magical creatures. Her life had been comfortable, if not _quite_ completely satisfying in the secret realms of her heart, for throughout all the years, she had never been able to forget Draco Malfoy, nor their one-time illicit, beautiful liaison. Those feelings for the dark wizard haunted her, no matter the distance or the experiences she'd shared with others, no matter his own marriage and parenting success.

The sad truth of the matter was, she had loved her husband, yes, but she had never been _in love_ with him. She and Ron had worked as a couple only because she'd overlooked many of their obvious incompatibilities in favor of taking the responsible, upstanding, _expected_ path. She now believed that decision had cost her a life of potential passion with Draco.

Then again, Astoria Greengrass had been better suited to her former lover's distinct set of personality traits in the years following the war. During those times, from what little she'd seen written about him in the paper, he'd been angry, obsessed with rebuilding his family's name and fortunes, and bitter about life in general. Hermione honestly had to admit that she would not have been able to be the perfect mate for him then, for she too was very angry (specifically, at the losses she'd had to accept in Fred, Remus, Tonks, Colin, and all of the others who had died fighting in the war, and at the loss of her childhood and her educational opportunities because of Voldemort's insanity intruding upon her life, and also partially at herself for accepting Ron's suit when her heart had known better).

When Astoria died, Hermione had hesitantly returned to Draco's life very briefly to express her deepest sympathies. She hadn't known about his Veela heritage until that visit, and hadn't been prepared for his reaction to the loss of his mate. It had been devastating to witness the depth of his berserker rage, which had been ongoing for five whole days at that point (his father, Lucius, fearing him permanently lost, had been considering administering a poison dart to put Draco down, as Veela males were immune to magic when in their fully transformed state, and no one had been able to calm Draco, who had gone insane with grief). Yet, after eventually convincing the elder Malfoys that she could help, Hermione had spent four hours alone with her former lover in a strongly silenced and locked room, and in the end, she'd persevered in reaching through to the man inside, in soothing her wizard when all others had repeatedly failed to do so.

What none but she and Draco would ever know was that she'd only been able to accomplish such an impossible feat by allowing him – in his full, feral Veela state - to repeatedly sate himself inside her body while he'd finally released his tears. It had been a brutal series of couplings, as he'd pinned her to the carpet, face down, and repeatedly taken her on her knees again and again, his broken, torn wings dripping and spattering dark cherry-colored blood all over everything. He had been a dark, dominating angel then, full of violent fury and sorrow, driving into her body brutally, all the while sobbing and screaming his agonized pain to the sky. Hermione had been absolutely terrified throughout it all, but even more importantly, she'd hurt in her heart so deeply for Draco that she thought her own heart was breaking in half. The compassion and sympathy moved her so greatly that she'd done something that day that she'd sworn she'd never do again after the death of her own father, just two years prior: she'd prayed. She'd _desperately_ pleaded with God to help her to save Draco from his suicidal, rampaging mourning.

As the last words of her prayer had left her lips, Draco had finally exhausted himself. As if a switch had been turned off, he'd simply collapsed into a deep sleep at her side. He had slept for three days straight. After that, he had returned to wakefulness and eventually regained his sanity.

After cleaning up in the attached bathroom in his bedroom suite, repairing her wounds with healing charms and her clothes with mending charms, Hermione had gathered her courage about her like a cloak of protection and stepped back into the ramshackle bedroom to finish what she'd meant to do from the start. She'd proceeded to heal an unconscious Draco the best she could, repairing his shattered wings, his skull where he'd torn his hair from his head, and his savagely rent and gouged flesh from his self-inflicted mutilations. She'd magically repaired the crushed and broken furniture,re-sealed the holes in the wall, scoured the room until every inch was once more unsoiled, and levitated her lover into his bed, tucking him under the sheets and giving him a kiss goodbye. Leaving the rest to Narcissa and Lucius, she'd excused herself from Malfoy Manor and gone home, where she'd retired to her bedroom and wept as quietly as possible into her pillow until her own mental fatigue overtook her and she'd finally fallen asleep.

Hermione never touched her husband (or any other man) sexually after that day – not ever again, finally believing with her whole heart what she'd suspected for years: that she would have been Draco Malfoy's mate had she not married Ronald Weasley.

It hadn't taken long after that for Ron to know their marriage was over. She'd spent years trying to silently apologize for not being able to be his true love, though, and when he'd taken up with Susan Bones two years later she hadn't resented him having a mistress. They'd stayed together merely for the sake of the children; their friendship, however, improved as a result of neither one of them needing to keep up the pretense any further. When Rose turned legal age, and Hugo was well into his Fifth Year (almost his Sixth) and was quickly shedding childhood, becoming a man, Hermione and Ron had agreed upon an amicable divorce settlement and she'd moved into her own cottage.

Draco had never contacted her after everything that had happened between them, and she feared it was because he'd felt tremendous guilt for betraying the memory of his late wife just days after putting her in the ground. Some hurts, she knew, one never got over, and she wasn't sure how a Veela male's emotional make-up would cope with all he'd been through in so short a time, so she'd let him be and waited for him to approach her. She'd spent the time in between working and researching the subject on second mates (who really should maybe have been first mates, but for a cock-up caused by a mad Dark Lord and a wizarding war), but there never seemed to be any information on the subject. Even her former sister-in-law, Fleur, didn't seem to know, as the case was unprecedented.

By then, years had passed, and when Malfoy didn't come to her, she finally decided that perhaps he'd concluded that they'd missed their chance long ago (if indeed he had ever wanted that chance to begin with), and there was no going back. So, she did her best to move on with her career aspirations and tried not to let her feelings for Draco – which had never dulled with time – wound her so greatly.

When Hermione'd received Draco's owl this last week, her heart had leapt into her throat. When she'd read the contents of his correspondence, she'd almost fainted. His son and her daughter: fated to be what she and Draco most likely should have been. It was both a beautiful and a tragic irony.

Now here she was, sitting across from him at his Manor House, sharing a glass of wine after having had a splendid meal, watching the distant sun set from the balcony of the house within which she'd suffered so much pain over the years – first in the throes of Bellatrix's _Cruciatus_, and then at Draco's own hands, during his grief. She wondered if she dared to direct this conversation around to get the answers she wanted. Dare she even _hope_?

Well, she hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor for nothing…

"Veela mating bonds," she asked in as even a manner as she could muster. "Specifically, is it possible for the male to have multiple mates in his lifetime?"

Knowing grey eyes bronzed out as the sun's last rays glimmered in their depths. "Yes, it's quite possible, but only if the Veela's mate died and he survived her death. Such was the case with my grandfather, Abraxas, who took a second mate – Madeline, my biological grandmother – after his first died in a tragic fire with their unborn baby. He subsisted a dozen years after Madeline had passed as well, and probably would have eventually taken a third mate, except he was exposed to a rather virulent strain of Dragon Pox on a trip to Romania and succumbed to it just prior to my acceptance to Hogwarts."

A spark of hope lit up in Hermione's chest, even as she silently counseled herself not to get too excited just yet. Nonetheless, the fires of wishful anticipation had been kindled, warming her center, making her heart tremble in her breast. "How does a Veela know his mate?" she pressed, wanting to fill in the wide gaps in her research that had existed for years, leaving her unsatisfied with her decades-long lack of knowledge on the subject. "The existing texts are entirely too vague on the subject, with not a useful detail to be found, as far as I can determine from my years of studying the species… for my job, of course." Okay, it was a teensy lie; she didn't want him to think she was some weird stalker who'd been obsessively investigating his life, after all!

Her former lover spun his wine glass by its stem between his fingers, shrewdly watching her through the ruby liquid, an eloquent smile jerking the edges of his lips upwards. "I can't speak as to the female Veela's ways for choosing a mate, as I honestly don't know what they endure for such a privilege," he explained with some small measure of amusement in his tone, "but there is a specific ritual that a male Veela must undergo upon his twenty-fifth birthday. It is the final stage of this transformative ritual, specifically, which allows him to discover the identity of his chosen mate. After that, he may again go through the ritual at his own instigation once every twenty-five years – but, as I explained earlier, only if he's lost his mate in the interim." He looked at her pointedly through long, dark golden lashes. "_If_ he chooses to go through the ritual again to find a new mate, he has exactly three years – three to represent the three stages of the Transformation - after his fiftieth birthday, or his seventy-fifth, or one hundredth, et cetera to do so. If he doesn't take advantage of the opportunity within that time, he loses the chance until the next quarter century birthday."

Hermione's heart did a double-flip in happiness. Perhaps it wasn't too late for them then! Draco's fiftieth birthday had only been June the fifth last year. He still had time to decide on whether to look for a new mate or not. "Can you tell me more about this ritual? How does it allow you to know your mate?"

Draco chuckled. "You realize that this is clandestine knowledge, Granger?" he asked drolly, his lips twitching. "As the only continuous male Veela lineage in the world, we Malfoys enjoy our privacy – and especially on this particular subject. Surely, you can understand why." She nodded sincerely, hoping she hadn't tread too far across his comfort levels. "I can tell you exactly what you want to know," he offered with a naughty, alluring grin, "but in the name of secrecy, I'll want to extract a _specific_ promise from you not to tell anyone."

"Okay," she readily agreed, sitting forward in her seat, her curiosity in overdrive now. "You have my word on my witch's powers that I won't repeat what you tell me here tonight."

Malfoy lost his teasing smile and looked upon her with cool, measuring eyes. Whatever criteria he had been seeking to confirm his trust he obviously found in those long, assessing seconds, for he seemed to come to the determination that he could rely upon her confidence with a single, curt nod. Taking another gulp of his wine – which was now at a quarter remaining – he took a deep breath, let it out, and launched into an explanation of the greatest secrets of the male Veela mythos...

"Being a Veela is much like being a Werewolf or a Vampire," he began, trying to approach the subject with some clinical detachment. "There are two halves to the person – the human side and the Veela side. Unlike a Vampire or Lycan though, a Veela is born, not made. However, all three magical creatures are, for lack of better understanding, what humans would deem 'monsters.' In the case of the Vampire, the monster within needs the blood of others to survive. In the case of the Were, it needs the social order of the pack for the same reason. As for the Veela, we need our mate in order to mitigate our volatile temper." He ran a hand through his long front bangs as he spoke, pushing them off his face – a familiar gesture, as he had done it the night they'd first made love to each other, during their argument beforehand. The memory brought up tactile awareness in Hermione's body, making her stomach flutter.

"As a class of 'monsters,' all three races have… transformative aspects… to our alternative, non-human sides," Draco continued. He put his glass on the table and rubbed the palms of his hands over his thighs, as if trying to wipe away his nervousness in revealing this particular skeleton in the family's cupboard. "Vampire's teeth become razor-sharp, like those of piranhas, their eyes become fully black as midnight, and they turn pale when they change. Werewolves shift into their Lycan form – a perfect amalgamation of wolf and human. Veela sprout wings, their eyes glow, the females grow beaks and talons, while the males wrap themselves in shadow and their canines elongate."

He paused to consider his next words, tilting his head in consideration, his eyes narrowing, his mind turning inward as his gaze stared blankly at his wine glass again. "In all three species, strength, speed and stamina increase, and in all three cases, their bite is venomous – to differing degrees and purposes. A Vampire's bite numbs the area and injects an aphrodisiac into the quarry's system so feeding is less painful and more pleasurable, thus making the one donating blood more willing to drink from the Vampire, if offered. As they are inherently sterile, choosing to share their blood with their prey is the only way the Vampire can make Kin. A Werewolf's bite transmits the Lycan virus to the victim, because shapeshifters are made through infection only, not birth. As for the male Veela's bite, it is only meant for their mate, and it magically binds them to the Veela, altering their biology, chemistry and magical aura to prepare them for conception. It also makes them crave their mate's touch, and reject all other males. To summarize, in all three examples, the bite is designed so that the monster can reproduce its species somehow."

He sat back in his chair, crossing his legs European style, his attention focused again on her face. "Because Veela are born and not made, we are rather unique, however. Our bestial side is always within us, from the moment of conception until our death. It remains fully dormant until puberty. At that point, it mentally sits up and starts to take notice of the world through our eyes, only we're not really aware of it doing so. It happens in the background, without our knowledge. This is when the Veela side starts to evaluate potential mates, using the senses of the young man to determine the strengths and weaknesses of all non-related females that he meets, determining their aptitudes and weighing their appropriateness in a variety of categories, mostly having to do with reproductive compatibility. This 'monster' within is the darker aspect of our personalities – the part that likes violence, enjoys pain, and its lusts are powerful and perverse – much like a young teenage boy who has been newly flooded with testosterone."

Hermione opened her mouth to ask the next obvious question, but Draco beat her to the punch, holding his hand up to stop her from speaking. "At that point, the Veela is not a separate personality, _per se_. We can't talk to it. It's like… the chrysalis stage of a butterfly; the two forms exist within the same body while the caterpillar is in its torpid state in the cocoon. They are the same being, transforming slowly over time. That's what the Veela is – how it co-exists to learn of the world - between puberty and the man's twenty-fifth birthday."

He shook his head in apparent shame and pursed his lips, clearly not pleased with discussing that side of himself. Instead, he concentrated on the next part of the Veela equation… "As I said earlier, there's a specific ritual male Veela go through on the day celebrating their first quarter century. At that point, the Veela has completed its 'pupa' stage, and is ready to emerge and claim a mate so it can get on with the business of reproduction. This is called the Transition. There are three stages before this rite of passage ends." He ticked the stages off on his fingers as he spoke. "At the exact minute of our birth, in our twenty-fifth year of life, stage one begins. Our magical aura shifts _dramatically_ to prepare us to 'resonate' with the mate that the Veela within has selected for us. This is quite a painful process, and we gain some abilities, while losing others. It helps to make us equal with the mate the Veela has chosen. It can take an hour or more, but once the shift has completed, stage two begins. The body undergoes a metamorphosis. Muscle mass is added, bones are made stronger, the heart and lungs able to pump more efficiently, all five senses heighten drastically. This is to help the Veela protect his mate throughout the course of their lives together. Our immune system strengthens, and our lifespan extends greatly, allowing us an extra seventy-five to one hundred years of life over the typical human lifespan – to ensure maximum breeding potential. In addition, males gain control of our scent glands so we can mark our mate – to keep any challengers to the suit away. For the females, it's different. They also seem to activate their pheromones, but from what I can tell, it's to attract as many mates as possible, not one specific mate. I'm not sure why that is, honestly." A smooth shrug of those broad shoulders of his brought Hermione's attention to the subtle changes in his body that she'd seen, but never really paid attention to, until just that moment. He _did_ seem a bit more muscular than a wizard who spent most of his time in the board room, and not in the gym, should. She recalled that afternoon years ago, when she'd gone to calm his Veela; his body _had_ been rippling with powerful muscle. At the time, she'd thought it part of his transformation and assumed he would revert to something less bulky and hard once he'd calmed and changed back. However, she hadn't seen him naked again after that to compare.

Good heavens, was his body still as gorgeous as it had been fourteen years ago, when she'd last seen it _in flagrante delicto_?

Draco cleared his throat, pausing, and reached for his glass, taking another sip of his wine. In his eyes, however, there was the light of amused comprehension. Goodness, was she _that _obvious?

"As I was saying," he continued. "It takes hours for the second part of the evolution to occur, and it's usually quite painful. At this point, the man and his Veela consciously separate. The Veela _does_ become a distinct entity within us. It talks to us, guides us, and basically tries to coerce us into doing whatever is necessary to secure our mate and to impregnate her as often as possible." Two spots of color bloomed on his cheeks, and he finished off his wine with a last gulp. "When stage two is completed and the physical changes have finalized, the final stage occurs. During this time, the newly awakened Veela opens its magical essence to the wizard to show him the face of the mate it has chosen for him from all of the possibilities. This is called 'seeing through the Third Eye.' At this point, the man's fate, and that of his mate, is sealed permanently. He will seek her out, mark her, and claim her as his very quickly thereafter, as Veela biology demands."

"Is it possible for the Veela to ever make a mistake in the choosing of a mate during the final stage of the ritual?" Hermione wondered aloud, sipping from her wine again.

Draco put his now-emptied glass down on the table and crossed his hands over his lap, tenting his thumbs together. "The only time that could happen is if the woman was... unobtainable or unfit... at the time of the ritual. The Veela would seek another woman for him."

"Unobtainable how, exactly?" she looked him in the eye again, needing to know if her suspicions were correct. "Would, say, being married to someone else be enough for the magic to omit her for consideration?"

Malfoy shook his head slowly. "Human marriage contracts don't enter into the equation at all, insofar as Veela magic is concerned, and the Ministry would ensure that any such marriages would be dissolved anyway, in favor of the Veela mating. What the male Veela's magical aura searches for in a mate ahead of the ritual is its _perfect_ match – a witch who is the Veela's equal and who is _most _biologically and chemically compatible at that moment, so as to ensure perpetuating the species immediately. Only three things could interrupt that selection: if the preordained witch had died, or if she'd suffered some injury that made her unable to carry a child to term, or if she were pregnant with another man's child at the time that the ritual was being conducted. The magic would determine that the ideal candidate was no longer available for breeding by the male Veela then, and seek out the next, best alternative."

Hermione lowered her eyes to her lap, trying to hide both the sadness and the singing triumph through her blood. Draco had finally confirmed for her what she'd known in her heart for almost thirty-five years: that they _had_ been destined for each other, but because she'd been pregnant with Rose at the time of his twenty-fifth birthday, his magic had chosen an alternate witch for him – Astoria Greengrass.

It was a bittersweet affirmation.

Now came the hard question... If Draco answered it in the negative, Hermione was sure she'd be permanently crushed, but she also knew that she _had_ to know the answer. She'd waited too long to chicken out now. "Do you believe it's possible for that first, original female choice – the one who was pregnant, and thus unavailable for mating at the time of the male Veela's first ritual – to be chosen as the male Veela's future mate… should circumstances allow for such an opportunity?" she hedged, feeling her heart leaping into her throat, her chest tightening in apprehension. What if he said 'no'?

There drifted between them a few moments of silence – enough time for Hermione to notice that the sustained trilling coming from the tree line on the vast property belonged to lonely male song thrushes who ritually, desperately sang for their lost mates as twilight dimmed the world.

"You're asking if it's possible for a second chance?" he sought clarification.

Hermione simply nodded, her mouth having gone too dry to answer, and her glass finally empty, unable to provide comfort.

She peeked up between her lashes with great anxiety churning her guts and threatening to cut off her breath. Her former lover's wintery gaze measured her carefully for a moment more. "I don't think the Veela – nor the man – could ever forget their first true love. I think… they would crave her throughout their lives, mated to another or not." He sighed. "And I think, that if such an opportunity arose where the male Veela could have a second chance with her, he would do whatever was necessary to have her. Even if it took years of waiting, of purposefully separating himself from all other women out of fear of the Veela choosing another, he would do it." He stood and made his way to her side, reaching out very slowly with one hand and gently stroking through her hair when she did not shy from the touch. "He wouldn't be able to approach her in the interim, though, because there would still exist the possibility that the Veela within would not choose her for some insane reason during the next ritual opportunity. As you'd expect, the man would be terrified of that possibility, and of hurting his love so egregiously, so he would wait… and pray she understood… and hope with all he was that he could have her someday for his own."

Oh, Merlin, it all made sense now! He'd kept her at a distance all these years after Astoria's death for both of their sakes, to protect her heart. "I… see," she murmured shakily, feeling hot tears trickle down her cheeks. "I didn't know."

"You couldn't have," he quietly defended her. "All of this a very tightly held secret that only a Veela male may share with his mate."

Hermione's whole world stopped.

"I performed the mating ritual last night, when I got home," he explained quickly, his voice catching on the last word. "Perhaps it was presumptuous of me, but I needed to know if what I've been feeling for you since I was sixteen was real or not. I needed to know if you would have been mine if things had been different back then, Hermione, and if there was the possibility of a future for us now – our second chance, as you deem it. My answer… It's why I owl'd you today, invited you here for dinner and drinks." His hand swept across her jaw, cupping it, and he rubbed his thumb very lightly over her lips, letting out a shaky breath at the same time. "I knew it would be you I'd see. It was _always_ meant to be you, Granger."

A sob escaped her lips and her tears poured from the eyes as her shoulders shook with the force of her pent-up relief. "Draco…"

Her lover reached for her shoulders, pulling her to her feet smoothly, and he bent his head, claiming her lips possessively, powerfully in a kiss that seared her very soul and sealed her fate. Hermione fell into his embrace, into the love he offered her – the love she'd waited thirty-four years to reaffirm and fourteen to renew.

There was no waiting, no chancing any possible challengers or strange occurrences to interfere this time; immediately Draco gave her the First Mark – biting both of their bottom lips with his sharpened canines, and bringing them together to mingle their blood. The maelstrom released by that magical kiss drowned Hermione in waves of ecstasy that burned her blood and clenched her womb in waves of desire.

"_MINE_," he growled against her mouth, staking his irrefutable claim hotly, branding her for all time as his mate. He rubbed his cheek against both of hers in a scent marking that perfumed the air around them and infused her skin with a dark, richly spiced and musky cologne that was all male – all Draco.

Hermione nodded, seeking out more of his tantalizing, luscious kiss, desperate for him to reconnect with her. "Yes, all yours, Draco! _Only yours._"

With the strength graced him by his Veela heritage, her lover lifted her bridal style easily in his arms and carried her inside swiftly, down a hallway and around a corner, breaking from their kiss only so he could safely direct them to where she knew he was taking her – to his bedroom. Pressing her nose to the hollow of his throat and closing her eyes, Hermione wrapped her arms about Draco's neck and held on for all she was worth, openly weeping, and allowed all of the emotions of a lifetime – the sorrow at the missed opportunities, the joy at finally being granted her greatest wish - to pass through her. "Thank you, God," she whispered over and over into the collar of his soft, silken dress shirt.

She felt wandless magic pass through the air before them, and then they were inside her wizard's bedroom. In a trice, he had her pressed down into the soft mattress of his bed, laid across a cool satiny coverlet. "Look at us, sweet mate," he directed her, his voice that same odd union of Draco's cultured speech with the deeper baritone of his Veela self that she had heard so long ago when he'd taken her in this very room. Those memories were a dream now, a past she would not bemoan. She was his mate, as she'd always known she was meant to be, and anything that had gone between them previously could no longer hurt her. Indeed, they were vital experiences that had brought her and Draco together to this point, and she did not resent them in the least.

Hermione's lids fluttered open. Mercurial silver gazed hungrily at her from mere centimeters away, Draco's mouth pressed to hers, sharing her breath. Dark shadows angled her lover's features, his hair was suddenly much longer, his gold-white bangs literally draping across her forehead, the sides and back creating a curtain around them, cutting off the rest of the world from her vision. "You have always been ours, Hermione - our chosen mate from the beginning. _We_ claimed you when we took your virginity," he stated arrogantly, then growled angrily at her. "_You let that other man touch what was ours!_ _You took yourself from us!_"

The tears continued to flow, unstoppable as emotions flitted wildly through Hermione's mind and heart. "I'm so sorry, Draco. I… I didn't know about you being a Veela then, and I thought, after everything with the war… We were so different."

The Veela stared at her through narrowed, jealous eyes. "You will make it up to us, mate. Over and over again until we are satisfied." Dipping his head, his nose pressed into her throat, and he inhaled deeply. Hermione turned to give him greater access. "We have waited for you for a long time."

The tears poured from her eyes at his words. He'd loved Astoria; that she known first-hand by witnessing his deep mourning of her. Yet, apparently, like her relationship with Ron, it had not been the love of soul mates. That, as she'd suspected for the last three and a half decades, had been theirs alone to share.

"You were my first and _only_ true love, Draco, I swear it," she murmured huskily into his ear, nuzzling against his hairline, feeling his touch elicit the mating imperative; her panties were soaking wet already. "Now, bite me," she whispered the plea in his ear. "Fuck me hard. Mate me forever."

He growled in lustful approval and the sound was a cross between a big cat snarling and a raptor crying out, and then he struck, giving her the Second Mark. His Veela fangs sank deep into her neck's artery, injecting her with his venom – the serum that would change her as he had explained. It was a painful, shocking, and almost paralyzing strike, and the feel of the poison entering her system was icy cold. Humming in approval against her skin, Draco's hands shoved her dress up around her waist, gripped her thong knickers, and literally shredded them with a powerful yank. With his mouth still latched onto her throat, he reached up to the 'vee' of her neckline and tore her dress down the middle next, using strength she couldn't even fathom as being real. He made quick work of her bra as well, and pulled the fabrics out from under and around her, tossing them to either side heedlessly. As the magic of the mating poured between them, she felt and heard his own clothes torn away with the same brutal efficiency, and all the while, he never loosened his mouth's lock on her, continuing to pump a chemical cocktail-combination-aphrodisiac into her system that was already working its enchantment quite effectively, making her body sweat with need, causing her clit and nipples to ache fiercely, eliciting a rush of wet warmth from deep within her to saturate her lower lips and curls.

Her legs were spread, her knees adjusted to rest in the crook of his elbows as he pulled her wide open for him. Soft, black feathered wings spread free from his back, stretching out far enough to encompass the width of the bed. They were absolutely beautiful.

After a final lick to seal the wounds at her throat, Draco lifted his mouth away and stared down at her, holding her in position as he mounted her dripping, frantic body. "Who do you belong to?" he demanded in his resonating voice, his eyes positively glowing in the darkness of the bedroom.

Hermione reached for him eagerly, but he leaned back, intentionally withholding himself until she answered. Something deep inside her – instinct or magical enlightenment, she couldn't say exactly - understood that this was part of the mating ritual, and it knew precisely how to reply correctly: "I, Hermione Jean Granger, am your mate, Draco Malfoy. I belong to you – the man _and _the Veela."

Those eerie orbs of light became slits, and she knew her lover's lids were narrowed once more. "That's right, Hermione. You belong to us," he hissed with pleasure. "_TO US._"

At the end of that proclamation, he rammed his iron-hard cock inside her inflamed, grasping body, sinking between the layers of her drenched flesh, working his way inside her tight channel, and finally burying himself to the hilt. _"OH, GOD!"_ Hermione shouted in exquisite pleasure-pain; he was so thick and long that he filled her up, stretched her wide, and made her nearly faint from the blissful sensation, as he touched nerves deep inside she'd never known she had until just that moment.

"You feel and smell divine, mate," her lover worked his hips in a fast, violent pistoning action immediately, giving her no chance to adjust to his invasion, talking to her as he did her _oh-so-good_. "We're going to eat your sweet cream tonight – but not until we've fucked you again and again in every position. Not until your swollen body can't take anymore. Not until you beg us to stop."

And did he ever mean it! He took her on her back in a variety of ways, and on her knees, on her stomach, her riding his lap facing forward and then backwards as he lay flat under her, as they sat up in the same manner, even leaning over the bed until the blood rushed to her head. Throughout it all, he maintained a low rumbling noise through his chest – almost like a deep purr - that vibrated into her very core, intensifying the fire that burned through her womb. Each time he came inside her, he reasserted his claim by thrusting his split bottom lip into her mouth and making her suckle on it, binding them with magic and blood and seed. By dawn, Hermione was exhausted, sticky and sore, and still, Draco's Veela was relentless.

Limp, almost faint from fatigue, body aching from head to toe, Hermione panted against her lover's shoulder. He was on his knees, holding her suspended in the air, her legs wrapped about his waist, as he plunged into her with seemingly unquenchable desire. "Do you love us, Hermione? You haven't told us, mate. We've been waiting all night."

Panting, holding onto him weakly, her body gummy with sweat and messy from their combined fluids, she leaned her forehead against his shoulder. "I… did…"

Draco shook his head firmly. "You said we _were_ you first and only true love. You did not say you loved us still." He bit her throat and growled. "Say it now."

Lifting her face, she looked her mate in the eye, the rays from the sun peeking in through the tall, cathedral windows, illuminating the room in a rosy-peach tint. "I love you, Draco - you and your Veela. I love you with my whole soul. Until the day I die, I will love only you this way."

To her surprise, tears ran down her lover's cheeks. Tilting his head back, he gave a feline-raptor cry of triumph, loudly exclaiming to the very heavens his victory in winning his mate's unequivocal love. Then, dipping his head, capturing her lips in a final blood sharing, Draco aroused Hermione's ardor one last time; every muscle in his body tensed up, and he surged into her with feral power as his sable wings beat rhythmically in time to his thrusting hips. Bucking against him in mindless need, Hermione rose towards what she knew would be a shattering climax.

"We love you," he whispered against her lips as he molded her frame tightly into his, fitting their curves perfectly, aligning her body for maximum penetration. "There will _never_ be another. Only you for us, Hermione. We belong to you, love mate. _Soul _mate."

As if his words set her free, Hermione's orgasm tore through her, destroyed all of her mental protective barriers, rendering her open and vulnerable. She screamed Draco's name, reaching for him with all her heart – and she felt him reaching back. Their auras collided, entwined, melded in that moment, and with a last, forceful drive, Draco buried himself completely, connecting their bodies as if they were one being, and came deep up inside her womb, flooding her with his hot, life-giving seed. He cried her name out as a prayer as he crashed over the wave of pure bliss, holding onto her tightly, his raven-colored wings fully extended, blanketing them both. It was in this moment of Rapture that he gave her the Third Mark – the gift of conception.

The realization of what they had done – _of what the three Markings_ _actually_ _meant _– came to her then, and it was absolutely overwhelming to accept.

She understood now why a Veela bonding was until the death. Through the mating ritual, Draco's Veela _had _bound them together forever – but not just spiritually, emotionally and physically through the exchange of fluids and the combining of their auras, as with the first two Marks. With the last Mark, he had also bound them up eternally _through the heritage of a child_. Their son's legacy, which they would care for all the rest of the days of their lives together, would carry on the male Veela tradition. In a way, they _were_ bound forever now – in the genetic code of their family, which their child would advance upon his own mating twenty-six years hence, and then in his children's children, et cetera, in perpetuity.

Lifting her weary head, Hermione looked into Draco's eyes and tiredly laughed. "You'd better hope the Veela magic and chemistry slowed down my aging, or our son is going to have an old hag for a mother."

Draco's Veela smirked a little arrogantly, folding his wings. "Maybe we will just toss you over for someone younger once he is born."

Arching an eyebrow at her mate, Hermione stared him down. "Have I told you that during my years at Hogwarts, I invented a hex to cause erectile dysfunction, merely out of sheer boredom?"

White, glimmering teeth grinned at her cheekily. "Have we told you that we intentionally selected the smartest witch of our age for our mate because her brains always made us hard-up for her?"

Yawning, Hermione lay her head down on her lover's shoulder, preparing to give herself over to sleep finally. "Goodnight, my slick Slytherin git."

A light kiss was pressed to her damp forehead. "Goodnight, our spoiled Gryffindor princess."

With that, Hermione was out for the count, safely tucked into the arms of the man who was, for all intents and purposes, now her husband.

* * *

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	6. Chapter 5: Casualty of Division

_**CHAPTER 5: CASUALTY OF DIVISION **_

_**Tuesday, July 1st, 2031 (night)**_

Scorpius gave Rose two nights alone after their last "dream visit," wanting her to adjust, to come to terms with their situation - and the entire time, he'd suffered. The Veela within had constantly beat at him inside his brain to go out, find and claim his mate, and wasn't happy accepting Eleri's body as a substitute for its lustful nature, either. Its verbal abuse had only gotten worse yesterday when he'd learned from his dad's own mouth that the man had mated Rose's mother on the same night he'd been visiting Rose in her sleep (his Veela was _extremely_ resentful of the fact that Draco would claim a second mate, when Scorpius wouldn't even go after his first).

Things had finally come to a head tonight at dinner when he'd yelled at his grandmother – something he'd never, _ever_ consider doing normally – when she innocently asked him how he was feeling. After apologizing profusely and explaining that claiming his mate wasn't going as smoothly as he'd hoped and that it was disturbing to his temper (his grandfather had simply scowled at that), he excused himself from the rest of the meal and scurried up to his bedroom for some privacy. There, he'd wanked hard to the too-real vision of licking Rose's sweet creamy release from her thighs and pussy, but even that wasn't enough to sate the damned Veela within. It bitterly huffed that it thought Scorpius was acting like a vagina himself for refusing to go claim his mate right away, and in desperation, he'd struck a deal with his other half: he'd visit Rose in the dream world tonight and attempt to kiss her. The Veela tried to negotiate copping a feel in there, too, but after a drawn-out mental battle, eventually settled on the idea of simply tasting her lips (it still called him a wimp, though).

Yeah, no performance pressure there.

As he showered now, Scorpius considered his new lot in life once again.

It was the strangest sensation sharing his life with another being that, no matter which way you turned, you could never get away from. Quite honestly, he was beginning to feel mentally and emotionally suffocated by his Veela half.

As an only child growing up in a really big home that was mostly empty, he'd come to appreciate the quiet and calm of having his own space; he liked to relax in solitude while reading, wanking or scheming (his three favorite hobbies, in general). When he'd gone off to Hogwarts, he'd discovered quickly that it seriously cramped his style and frequently pushed the boundaries of his patience to share a dorm with four other blokes, because there were times he just wanted to scream at them all to shut the fuck up and get out for a little while so he could have an hour of blasted peace (which was why he was always really glad for holiday breaks – not to get away from homework, but to get away from the noise and constant activity of school).

Living with the Veela was a lot like living back in the dorms – only it was exponentially worse, because there was no escape to the library or the Quidditch pitch or to the lake shore when silence was necessary to keep him sane. His 'beast within' (as he'd come to think of it) never shut up, never let up, and constantly had something snarky to say. It was incredibly passive-aggressive towards him, too, since it saw him (Scorpius) as the obstacle in the way of it (the Veela) claiming its rightful mate (Rose).

For example, it had just recently taken to getting even with him by flashing in his mind erotic fantasy images of Weasley at every opportunity, causing him to quite literally perk up in his pants at the most inappropriate times (like yesterday, when he'd been standing in line at Flourish & Blotts, and the Veela had decided to take _that exact moment_ to throw him an image of him shagging the seventeen-year old version of Rose – wearing that _wanking sexy_ school uniform, too! - against a wall and he'd gotten a boner that was so hard and painful, he'd had to limp out of the shop fast, Apparate home and take care of the problem).

When asked by Marcus Zabini what it was like to be possessed by the Veela, the best example Scorpius could come up with was to equate it to having a Siamese twin whose mental maturity level was that of a very temperamental, incredibly horny sixteen year-old boy. The beast's sole focus seemed to be in claiming and then shagging its mate into the mattress, enslaving her to its sexual whims forever, hopefully impregnating her in the doing… oh, and jealously guarding her away from any and all who threatened such deviant, grandiose plans. It was, quite honestly, the most overly-sexed, obsessively _annoying_ creature he'd ever known (which was saying a lot, considering he was best friends with Marcus, who'd fuck anything and was often _quite_ irritating on purpose).

For all intents and purposes, the Veela within was a Being all unto itself; it had a consciousness, emotions, dreams, wishes, and wants. It's only failing was, it didn't have its own body; it had to share with Scorpius, living off of him like some kind of parasite. The thought kind of sickened him, honestly. How his father and grandfather had coped with such a thing for so many years made him respect them all the more.

Which brought him around to another unpleasant thought: his father had mated Rose's mother! How in the seven layers of hell did something like _that _happen? The whole thing of second mates had been explained to him, sure, so he got the mechanics part of it down, but why _Rose's_ mother? Maybe it had something to do with that set of rather sexually-charged exchanges between the two parents at tea the other day (they had seemed _awfully_ familiar with each other… had his dad once had an affair with Rose's mum?). It appeared he'd been right in assuming a Malfoy had already tapped a Weasley – and would do so again… and again… and again, until his dad successfully knocked his mate up.

Wait, how would that relationship work exactly if Ms. Granger-Weasley (Malfoy now?) had a kid? The child would be a sibling to both Scorpius _and_ Rose.

Too weird. Now he understood how the royalty of Europe must feel, with all the convoluted intermarriages.

Rinsing the shampoo out of his hair and the soap off his body, he shut the water off, toweled himself down, and brushed his teeth for bed. That done, he hopped in between the sheets – completely starkers, as usual - and turned off the lights with a wave of his wand. When he'd finally laid his head back upon his pillows, he engaged in one final conversation with his Veela with the intention of making his animal side understand who ruled the roost.

_Remember: only kissing_, he curtly, firmly established.

_Shall I cluck at what a chicken shit you are, _the Veela snarked, _or would mewling at your pussy-ness be preferred?_

Scorpius restrained his temper, bit back his automatic sarcastic retort, and struggled to keep his blood pressure at somewhere below the ceiling level so he wouldn't suffer a fatal aneurysm. _If we push Rose too fast, she'll do something drastic – like run straight into Corwin's bed and stubbornly chain herself there. You know what would happen then. Even if he is a wanker, I don't relish the idea of explaining to the family why I murdered my own cousin, thank you very much._ He sighed. _We're trying to woo her here. Wouldn't you prefer our mate to want and like us of her free will?_

He could feel his Veela's prickly impatience steadily mount. _She doesn't have to like us, boy-o. She just has to let us fuck her – once. _He felt the Veela puff-up with confident arrogance. _We're so good, she'll crave us after that whether she wants to or not. _

_Well, I want her to do it freely,_ Scorpius argued, letting some of that heat under his collar flare into his tone. _I want her to give herself to me without Veela pheromones or chemical cocktails. So let me play this out, and we'll both get what we want eventually. _

The Veela's darker, possessive nature sulked and growled at him, but did not reply.

Satisfied that he'd made his point and that he and his other half were at agreement, Scorpius closed his eyes and gave himself over to the magic of dream-walking.

**X~~~~~X**

The thing about walking into the grey fog of the mind is that it can be bloody confusing to orient yourself, especially if the object of your current attention is having a nightmare at that exact moment you try to initiate contact. It took Scorpius two tries to magically lock onto Rose's tumultuous consciousness through the dark mist, and he found incredible resistance when he tried to alter the dreamscape. Clearly, tonight, it would not be easy to bend her mind to his liking. He'd have to go find her and pull her avatar of herself out physically.

Parting the haze, he stepped through into her consciousness – and stopped on a knut, too shocked by the sight before him to move for a moment.

It was nighttime, a partial moon filled the sky. Before him was a pretty white house with blue trim. The lawn was meticulously manicured, the verge nicely trimmed, the rose bushes in full, glorious bloom, and the little white fence surrounding it all well-preserved. Disturbing this idyllic picture of suburban utopia, however, was the image of a distinct, bloody handprint – its normally brilliant crimson hue color blued out by the silvery light cast from above - smack in the middle of the white front door, glistening fresh and wet.

"Rose?" he called out, extremely worried, charging forward up the walk and stairs. Cautiously, he pushed opened her door. "Rose? Where are you?"

Inside, the house was in complete opposite of its outward appearance; it was, bluntly, the scene of unmitigated disaster. Where walls hadn't tumbled down under the weight of a fire that had already burned itself out, they were blackened, charred beyond the abilities of a _Reparo_ to correct. Clinging remnants of peeling wallpaper – once a cheerful, sunny yellow striped with white - bubbled and curled outward. Furniture and decorative items were scorched beyond repair, or lay as melted lumps in the ash-streaked carpet. The stairs leading up to the bedrooms had fallen all the way through to the basement, leaving a dangerous pit of jagged, broken boards in the middle of the room.

A creak off to his left captured his attention. Straining his Veela-enhanced senses, he listened very hard, shutting out the sound of his own heart beating.

There - someone was crying.

Stepping with great caution upon the weakened floorboards, he made his way into an adjunct room off the main hall. There, curled up in the middle of the room on the floor was Rose in a fetal position. She looked as she had back in Seventh Year, her hair back in a tight braid, but her glasses were missing and her school uniform was ripped and disheveled, the skirt shoved up around her hips. She was crying brokenly, and from his position at the entry, he saw blood smeared between her thighs. Clearly, she'd been victimized in her nightmare.

"Fuck, Rose!" he groaned and hurried to her. As gently as possible, he gathered her in his arms. "Rose, baby, it's only a nightmare. Just a dream."

Shaking her head, refusing to look at him, she cried harder. "Not a dream. He hurt me."

Cupping her cheek, he tilted her face up to him, but she kept her eyes tightly sealed. "Who hurt you, baby. Tell me."

She went as still as if she'd been hit with a Petrify spell.

"Rose?"

Her eyelids slammed up and her eyes… there were horrible, empty chasms where her eyes had once been.

"You did."

Scorpius screamed and pushed away, his heart taking off like a rabbit's on the chase. Scuttling backwards, he hit the wall hard. The house shuddered.

"You did this to me, Scor," she vehemently accused, pushing herself up slowly.

Shaking his head, panic gripped him such as he'd never known in his entire life. A dark dread shadowed his soul. "I didn't," he denied, his voice raised an octave in fear.

Rose nodded, supporting her weight now on the palms of her hands, crawling towards him. "You've stolen my life from me."

"If this is about the mating," he licked his dry lips, trying to explain. "Rose, I never meant to hurt or scare you like this. I never wanted you to feel this way about it. I want this to be good for us both. Won't you let me try?"

"You've hurt me so much," she told him evenly, her voice as dead sounding as the house about them. Clearly, this was not her higher-self talking, but a manifestation of her deepest thoughts. The real Rose would be more cognizant, as she had been the other night. In a blink, she had reached him, stretched forth a hand and touched his cheek with such sweet tenderness. "Why do you always hurt me?"

Unwittingly, his hand met her face, lingered there, just under the empty eye socket. "I'm sorry. I can't change the mating between us, Rose. We're both bound by magic. I can't undo it."

"Save me, Scor," she pleaded curling up into his lap and resting her head on his shoulder. Softly, she began crying again. "Give me back my eyes. Save me."

"I will, baby. I _promise_ I'll do all I can to protect you." Wrapping his arms around, he closed his eyes and concentrated as hard as he could, trying to break through the waves of her emotions to recreate the world in his vision instead. It was painful, and he had to call upon his Veela for help. Strangely, the monster didn't seem to want to be anywhere near this emotional ground-zero, but he lent his mental strength to the task, and in a blink, the cosmos of their entwined minds became a better place.

**X~~~~~X**

The warmth of the early afternoon sun beamed down cheerfully upon them. They were on a very slow moving carousel, she riding on a white stallion decorated with red roses, he next to her on a creamy mare with a necklace made of cymbidium. She wore a lovely chiffon, knee-length halter dress of pastel green with a pair of light gold, strappy heels. Snug ribbing under the bosom brought attention to her plump, firm breasts – especially with the 'vee' cleavage shot. Her face was perfect, her hair flowing freely down her back. She was the correct age.

Blinking several times, she turned to look at him. "You again?" she demanded, angry with her recognition of him. "What happened? Why does this feel… off?"

He sighed and ran a weary hand over his forehead. "You were having a nightmare. I pulled us out of that and into this."

Her head swung about as she took in her surroundings and a crease of worry marred her brow. "I remember falling asleep… and then…" She shook her head. "I don't remember a nightmare. I remember dreaming about learning how to fly a kite with Uncle George when I was kid."

Well, thank Slytherin for the mind's uncanny ability to protect itself from horror; that must have been one of her first dreams upon falling asleep, and the one she now unconsciously clung to for safety.

"What was the nightmare about?" she asked, her voice strangely soft. Biting her bottom lip, she looked down at her hands clasping the golden pole on the carousel, clearly trying and failing to remember.

Scorpius shook his head and lied, not wanting to upset her further. "I don't remember. It was really too dark to see properly anyway." Turning to her, he watched as she moved up and down with the rhythmic, smooth grace afforded by the ride. "It's been a few days. I suppose you've heard the news by now?"

Rose glanced at him from her peripheral vision, and a healthy blush covered her pretty cheeks. Gods, she really was quite lovely, wasn't she?

"You mean about your dad and my mum? Yeah, I heard." She sounded disappointed, a little bitter. "Mum came crawling home after being shagged to within an inch of her life, and announced that she was your father's mate, but they'd decided not to change her last name so as not to convolute things for…"

She swallowed and hesitated.

"Our mating?" he offered.

Turning her head to look out at the world as it meandered in circles past them assured he could no longer see her profile or read her thoughts, which were usually very clearly plastered to her too-honest face. He swallowed his disappointment and tried to lighten the mood, changing the subject again in an effort to keep her engaged. He slapped the side of his enameled mount. "I miss riding on these things. A little too childish for people our age, I know, but the carousel always reminds me of happier times." Petting the mane, the horse came to life under his fingers, as a real wizarding carousel would. Neighing, it snorted with faux pleasure at his touch. "The one in Paris was always my favorite to visit as a little kid. My parents would take me there every spring."

Glancing down at her as his mount headed up, he noted Rose's astonishment at the way his ride reacted. "What?" he inquired, confused by her silence and her odd expression.

She seemed to be mulling something over, and then she reached out and touched her own mount's mane and petted gently. It came to life in an instant. Surprised, she jerked back. Her horse shook its head and indicated with a toss of its snout that it wanted her to continue petting it. The most beautiful smile overtook her face then – a smile of first discovery.

"_This_ is your first carousel ride?" he realized, dumbfounded.

Rose nodded, and reached out to pet the mane, which had become real hair under her fingers. "Oh, it's…" Her eyes shot to the poll in the middle. "Doesn't this hurt it?"

Scorpius shook his head. "No, they aren't really alive. It's just a spell," he reassured her, reaching out and slapping her mount's shoulder. "They don't really 'feel' anything."

One of her crimson eyebrows shot up in questioning. "You're sure?"

He nodded firmly, meeting her doubtful expression. "I asked once myself. They're enchanted to mimic the real thing, but they aren't living tissue – no nerves."

"Oh," she seemed quite impressed, her fingers lifting a few strands of the mane and rubbing it between her fingers. "Still, that's quite a feat of magic." Her eyes slid towards him and she seemed to consider her next words carefully. She finally settled on just one word: "Paris?"

He threw her a hesitant smile, pleased that she was asking him something about his past and not outright screaming at him to let her out of the dream. Maybe their parents' mating had something to do with her very slight change of attitude?

"Yeah, my mum loved it there," he explained, trying to play it casual and cool. "We went there every spring during Easter, and she and my dad would take their anniversary trips there in the autumn. It's where they mated." He lopsidedly grinned. "The City of _L'Amour_."

Rose's cheeks turned an appealing shade of pink. "How very romantic."

He paused and looked at her. "Are we actually having a pleasant conversation? Does this qualify as _talking_ then?"

He'd meant it to be teasing but clearly, it had been the wrong thing to say. Auburn hair glinted in the sun and haloed her pretty features as she spun on him, her guard back up, her anger ignited. "I told you I didn't want to see you again!"

Stomach soured at the lost chance (if only he'd kept his mouth shut!), he dropped his smile and grit his back teeth. "Yeah, well, I ignored you, baby." Swinging his leg over the side, he dismounted and instantly, the horse became solid and unmoving again. Crossing to her, he mentally stopped the carousel's motion in a single heartbeat, and lifted a hand to help her down. "Come on."

That dangerous glint was back in her eyes – as well as the stubborn set to her jaw. "I'm not going anywhere with you, Scorpius. Now, let me out of here so I can go back to sleep properly. I have practice tomorrow."

It was a tremendous effort for him not to lose his temper, especially with the Veela snickering at him in the back of his head as if to say, 'told you so.' Taking a deep breath, he left his hand up between them. "At least let me help you down."

She considered it, but seemed on the verge of rejecting his offer.

Purposefully leering and smirking at her, he withdrew his hand. "Fine." Crossing his arms, he sat back on his heels and stared her down. "Give me a nice show when you try to get down on your own. That dress does wonders for my libido already, but with it shoved up around your hips…"

Sighing in anger, Rose glared at him. "This is your dream, you chose the outfit so you can _un_-choose it, too. Give me pants instead."

Resolutely, he shook his head in denial. "I've decided that I love looking at your pretty calves and ankles too much."

Snarling something under her breath about perverts, she flipped her leg over the opposite side of the horse, giving him a nice peek at the white satin knickers he'd ordered up for her (maybe next time he shouldn't allow any at all?), and then she hopped down all on her own.

Unfortunately, she'd forgotten that she was in heels. When she came down, one ankle gave and she stumbled to her knees. "OW!" she yelled.

The sound of his mate in distress pulled at Scorpius in a way he'd never thought possible. He'd been able to bypass the instinct in the nightmare because he'd known that wasn't the conscious part of Rose, but the little part hidden inside of her mind. This, however, was the whole and real deal before him (spiritually, speaking). Her pain bothered him.

Hurrying to her side, he knelt down just as she'd turned her ankle about and looked at it to assess the damage. "Ow, hell!" she grumbled, trying to undo the strap of the shoe. The angle wasn't good for her reach.

It was perfect for Scorpius, though.

Gently, he started unbuckling the strap. She jerked and hissed in pain. "Let me help," he tsk'd and slapped at her hand as she reached out to shove him away. "Geez, Rose, you act like I'm going to cut your foot off. Just hold still." With infinite care and patience, he got the shoe out of the way and the leg twisted about so that it was straight. Rubbing over the injured spot, he willed the pain away. It _was _his dream, after all, and although it was difficult to manipulate her physical body within it, he did have _some_ modicum of control over the environment. "Better?" he asked, smoothing his fingers over her foot and ankle, caressing it to ease the lingering ache.

Uncharacteristically, Rose did not reply.

Glancing up at her quickly to assess her mood, he found her staring at him with open-mouthed bewilderment. That attractive flush covered her cheeks again, hedging down her throat to the dip of her cleavage. Scorpius' eyes followed the descent and he swallowed with rising lust at the way her breasts rose and fell with every breath.

Tearing his eyes away, he lingered back up her body until their gazes met again.

Instantly, the atmosphere was charged with sexual tension. Her cerulean orbs widened, the pupils expanded, and she licked her bottom lip nervously.

_Take her now! She __wants__ us!_

Mentally ignoring the Veela, he let his fingers continue their possessive massaging of her foot instead, his eyes firmly locked on hers the whole time. In an air overwrought with emerging desire, he did nothing more than touch her with patient sensitivity and consideration. There was no lewd fondling, no crude innuendo to be found in his actions. This was merely him caring for his mate.

At least, that's what he kept repeating as a mantra in his head, over and over, to keep his body still, as it was a struggle not to launch across the distance to cover her body with his own, as the Veela was insisting.

_Patience_, he counseled his impulsive other half. _One step at a time. See, she's letting us touch her! This is progress!_

"Do you like this?" he murmured softly.

Rose swallowed thickly and seemingly, against her better judgment, she nodded. "It's better now. Thanks."

Scorpius considered her words a moment longer. "Shall I stop?"

She nodded. "Yes, please."

Without any argument or resistance, he withdrew from the massage, wanting to prove to her that he respected her requests. "The other shoe should come off, too, so you won't trip again." With a mental thought and a sideways glance, the remaining golden heel disappeared, leaving her barefoot. Regaining his height, he offered her his hands again to help her up.

Very hesitantly, she accepted the offer, and he pulled her onto her feet, steadying her before letting go and stepping back. "Will you walk with me a bit, Rose, before we call it a night?"

Brushing the back of her dress off (it was an automatic response, even though there wasn't anything there; this _was_ a dream, after all). "Do I have a choice?" She sounded a tad embittered.

Scorpius sighed. It had been a long night, and yet, they really hadn't spent much time together at all. He was beginning to realize that dream trips were really exhausting on his physical body. The last one hadn't been longer than this one, and he'd felt like shite the next day. This one might very well require he stay in bed a few more hours.

"I just… we seemed to be getting along there for a few minutes," he admitted, opting for honest, realizing that his normal Slytherin ways just weren't going to cut it with Rose Weasley. She hated that side of him, and had made no bones about it. Maybe this would go a long way towards engendering her good will, or some shite like that. "I liked it." He cast a side glance to watch her. "Didn't you like _not_ fighting with me for even a little while?"

Stepping back and then around him, she dropped down the three steps to the green grass below. "Maybe," was all she offered, and kept walking away into the distance without a backwards glance.

Well, it was a start.

He chased after her, catching up after only a few strides. "So, let's swap stories." He waggled his eyebrows with scandalous implication. "You tell me what your mum said when you finally pinned her down, and I'll cough up my dad's side of things."

Looking away quickly, she cleared her throat, obviously uncomfortable. Would she talk to him again, or remain obstinate in her refusal to have anything more to do with him?

_Please, just give this a chance,_ he hoped.

"I'd spent the night at mum's cottage, waiting for her to get in," she grumped. "She finally showed up around noon the next day smiling like the cat that had caught the canary. I demanded an explanation as to her whereabouts, because I'd been worried. She said she'd come from your family's in Wiltshire and had been out on a date with your dad. I'd suspected as much from the disaster she'd left her bedroom in before leaving the night before, but I _didn't_ know she'd mated your father until she sat me down and explained the situation to me." She made a face like she'd bitten into sour lemons. "She told me they'd secretly been in love since they were teenagers. Did you know they were each other's first? But because of circumstances being what they had been back then because of the war, they couldn't make it work. I nearly checked myself into the nearest mental facility by the time she'd finished."

Scorpius nodded and chuckled. "Yeah, dad looked shagged out at lunch that next afternoon, but was smiling like I'd never seen him do before. And he sported a rich series of love bites along his throat – both sides! Your mum's an animal, baby!" He grinned cheekily as she slapped his arm in rebuke. "The minute I walked through the second floor hall to get to the stairs, I _knew_ he'd taken a new mate. I just didn't know who she was until dad confirmed it. Their scent, though, gave it away. It's all over his wing of the house." He considered that. "It's actually quite… nice."

She was silent again, and he could practically hear the gears turning in her head, almost knew exactly what she was going to ask. "What's it smell like?"

He couldn't help the smile that crept up his cheek. "Spicy, like cinnamon and nutmeg."

Brow furrowed, she bit her lip. "Mum smelled kind of like that, too, now that I think on it. It reminded me of Christmas."

"Each mating pair is different," he explained, cognizant that her hand had brushed his twice now as they walked, causing his blood to rush through him both times. "You can always tell when my grandfather has allowed his Veela out to play because it smells like Firewhiskey and cloves."

She stopped quite suddenly, staring at him in confusion. "What do you mean 'allowed his Veela out to play'? I thought the Veela was always there for… sex."

This was one of those delicate topics he'd hoped to impart a bit at a time so it wouldn't blow up in his face. It seemed he'd have to introduce the subject a little earlier than expected. "After the first mating, the Veela is typically satisfied, I'm told." Of course, he wouldn't explain _why_ that was just yet; too much information could spook her. "It tends to settle down - sometimes even falling into torpor after having achieved bonding to its mate successfully. As a result, it only puts in an appearance randomly after that."

"And the scent only appears when the Veela wants sex?" she bluntly asked, sounding dismayed.

He took a deep breath. "Something like that, yeah."

She was quiet again. "So, it's possible to mate once and then, maybe never again?"

Firmly, he shook his head. Not a chance in hell, given his boy's sex drive, he knew. Also, he didn't want to give Rose any false hopes that if she just gave in once to his seduction, he wouldn't want her ever again. "No. Veela are sexual creatures, same as humans. The biologic and chemical drive is the same. You can't just shut it off – especially after it's had a taste of pleasure from the perfect woman." He met her stare, wanting to push this point home. "Understand that the Veela will never give you up, Rose. It wants you, and not just for a one-night fling. It needs you to complete it."

Their tentative truce began to dissolve as her back went ramrod straight and she took another step away from him. "Why? I don't understand why a Veela needs a mate at all. It makes no sense."

He followed her. For every step back she took, he took one forwards. The sound of their feet crunching softly in the grass was loud in the hush that surrounded them. "It makes perfect sense if you understand what Veela are. They're feral monsters, baby. But unlike other magical Beings that border on being classified as 'creatures,' like Vamps and Lycans and Dementors, only the Veela are monogamous. A mate centers them, and gives them reason - a purpose beyond the need for violence and lust that is its nature. She keeps the darkness inside them at bay. She is their light of hope."

"And what does she get in return for providing such a service?" she contended, continuing to attempt escape, not watching at all where she was heading, her eyes locked onto his every move.

Scorpius felt his insides flutter as he realized he was giving her chase. The ever-cunning, predatory Veela, looking for any opening in its host's mental shielding, began to covertly slide forward to take control of the body they shared as the allure of sex and the hunt worked their psychological magic on Scorpius, uniting he and his other half in purpose. It slid up alongside his consciousness, seeking a way to shove its host to the side and fully take command, but the wizard held on to his control (if by a mere thread), even as the Veela made its offer to its woman. "You will never want for anything, pretty mate. We will provide the world for you if you ask for it." He could hear the conflux of his and the Veela's voices melding again as together they spelled out the situation. "We will devote all of our energies towards your sexual gratification. We promise you will never know anything but the ultimate pleasure in our bed."

Noting that Rose's face had lost its challenging belligerence of a sudden, it worried Scorpius that now she looked at him with something akin to fear. _Back off,_ he growled at the creature, reinforcing his will upon it, shoving it back once again, locking it down tight behind his reinforced mental shields. _You're starting to seriously spook her. _

Caught, the monster had no choice but to give up this avenue of attack for now.

"And what will _you_ give me in exchange?"

Her voice drew him out of his own mind and back into the present. He blinked, frowned. Hadn't he just told her?

"Not your Veela, Scor, but _you_," she pointed out.

He considered his answer at the same time as conjuring a wall behind her to end this cat and mouse game sooner rather than later, maneuvering her quite aptly towards it without her knowledge. "Unequivocal adoration."

"If that's all I expected out of a relationship, I'd be better off with a puppy. What about the most important parts: fidelity, honesty, physical compatibility and respect?" she challenged. "Oh, but wait - I suppose it would be _impossible_ to ask such things of a Slytherin, wouldn't it?"

Her back hit the solid barrier then, and she gasped, realizing she'd run out of room – and time. Cringing back, she felt as far out to the sides as her hands could go for an end to grab hold of and slip around to escape the trap, but Scorpius had assured that couldn't happen; the wall extended out too far for her to reach on either side. Caging her between his arms, he stepped a hair's breadth away from her, angling his head down towards her ear. "Physical compatibility I can definitely give you," he teased, pressing his nose against her throat and deeply inhaling. "Gods, Rose, you smell so nice. Your scent intoxicates me."

Pushing against his chest futilely, she turned her head away. "Scor, stop this. You don't really want me anymore than I want you."

Her words sliced him up, but he was persistent. He'd promised himself a willing kiss from her tonight, and he would claim that prize, hoping to buy them more time in the doing by satisfying the Veela a bit. Ghosting his lips very softly over her sensitive skin, he gently nipped at her earlobe. "Oh, I want you," he darkly whispered to her, putting heated meaning into those few words and feeling his heart speed up and skip paces as a result. "I want you so much that I _burn _for you. You're too beautiful to resist much longer."

She was trembling now in earnest. "Beauty isn't everything," she protested. "As soon as you rub the new off of this farce of a mating, you'll toss me over for the next young thing that comes along - I _know_ you will. It's your nature, Malfoy. You're a man-slag to the _n_th degree."

He sighed. "What will it take to make you see me for who I am today, and not the rival you remember, Rose?" he insisted, letting one hand roam down the wall until it encountered and captured her wrist. He pressed his lips to her temple. "I'm tired of this constant push and pull between us. Tell me what I must do."

"Let me go!" she hissed, trying to twist her hand out of his grasp. "Stop pursuing me."

He shook his head. "Anything, but that. You _know_ I can't. You're my mate."

"I don't _want _to be," she snarled.

Pulling his head back, he looked her in the eye. "How do you know? You haven't even kissed me yet. How do you know you won't like it enough to consider the idea of being my mate?"

She looked at him like he'd lost his marbles. "Because we _have_ kissed, Scorpius, and obviously, it wasn't that memorable for either of us to pursue it further." He frowned again, not sure what she was talking about. With a disgusted sigh, she filled him in. "We got drunk at a party in Seventh Year, and… I don't remember it really either, but Mols, Eleri, Lily, Lu, the twins and Alicia all insist that you and I… well, that we snogged _heavily_ that night, but Macmillan caught us and broke it up. You said you didn't remember either when Alicia asked you about it the next day." For some reason, she seemed hurt by that last part.

Scorpius wracked his brain, but could come up with nothing about the incident in question. He shook his head again. "I'm sorry, but… Rose, I don't remember ever kissing you before." His free hand cupped her lowered chin and forced her to meet his gaze. "If your friends are to be believed, then the reason must be like yours: an alcohol-induced blackout." He caressed her jaw with feathery touches, his eyes lingering on her lips. "I'm just really sorry that the memory is lost to me. It was probably fantastic." He felt his pulse speed up as her eyes widened from this pronouncement; as if she hadn't suspected he'd really want to remember pressing their mouths together. "Wanna try again now, though? Maybe it'll jar both our memories."

She swallowed heavily and her breathing kicked-up a notch. The pupils of her eyes grew impossibly wider, almost swallowing her whole iris, and there… very far back within them, he spied a spark of curious interest. "Just one kiss, right?" she breathlessly asked, nervously shaking against him. "No big deal. Just to prove to you that there's nothing here for you to keep pursuing."

He moved his mouth closer, licked his dry lips to wet them. "Sure, you can think of this as a test if you want."

Her long, dark crimson-brown eyelashes began to lower, and her gaze fell to his lips, too. "Right," she whispered. "Just a test."

Sliding his grip from her wrist, his palm met hers, and hesitantly, he entwined their fingers. The skin of his mouth buzzed over hers, but did not move any closer. "Rose?"

Her lashes flashed up, and her eyes were drawn to his once more.

"This is just me right now. The Veela isn't here with us," he reassured her. "This kiss is ours alone. Understand?" He was trying to tell her that if she liked it, she couldn't blame Veela pheromones for any of it; that it would be because she liked _his_ kiss.

Her eyes traveled the planes of his face quickly, before meeting his stare again. "Yes."

"Okay," he affirmed, closed his eyes and touched down.

He went for soft, sweet, gentle on that first pull of their lips. On the second pass, he tried again. On the third, she responded, opening right up for him. After that, he lost track of time.

Tentatively exploring, he was enticed into deepening the kiss with each pass to savor the light flavor of strawberries that greeted his senses. Dipping his tongue between the seam of her mouth, he coaxed her to play. With a small moan, she gave in. Instantly, the kiss became searing heat and unbridled passion the likes of which Scorpius had never known with a woman. All of the pent up years of his secret desire for her exploded out of him in that moment, and he found his arms about her, pulling her tightly into the curves of his body, his fingers shoved into her soft, beautiful hair, his cock thick and throbbing in his pants with desperate want for her.

Forcibly, she turned her head away, giving him her neck as she nibbled upon his, and he shoved her back into the wall and took her offering, grazing his teeth along her pattering pulse, feeling his Veela screaming at him to mark her. It shoved forward with incredible strength this time, intent upon taking control, but Scorpius offered it a distraction to keep it from overpowering him: he ran a hand up her waist and cupped her breast through her dress. The Veela stopped its mental assault immediately.

_Yes, t__ouch her,_ it begged, completely enamored with the compromise. _Let me touch her again and again._

Rose moaned louder when he gently bit down on her throat next (assuring his Veela fangs did not punch through by exerting solid control), suckling on the sweet, soft flesh, leaving a love bruise to mark her as his, even as his thumb brushed across her clothed nipple and brought it to prominence. "Scor," she sighed in pleasure, arching into him. "Kiss." Seeking out her lips again, he thrust his tongue into her, lapping up her luscious flavors – sweet berry combined with something that was indefinably Rose's unique taste. She was wet, lush, and ripe for him in every way.

Clearly, his mate was affected by his seduction. Her hands were everywhere on him; running through his hair, gliding over his spine, cupping his arse, smoothing up his sides to grip his biceps and digging in her little nails. Their chemistry was utterly undeniable – and it wasn't a result of the Veela's presence, either. Apparently, this attraction had been lingering under the surface for too long. Had she felt for him back in their school days as he had for her? Had their animosity simply been a way to play off such feelings that neither of them was comfortable with admitting? He knew it had been that way for him.

If he had exerted even a tenth of his Veela advantage upon her right then, she'd be naked and writhing under him in seconds. She'd regret it later and chalk it up to hormones (and she'd definitely blame him for it, too), but oh, how good it would be, even if it were only in a dream!

It was time to pull back and to give her space so she could realize the same thing he had just come to accept: they _wanted_ each other – quite possibly had _always_ felt that way. Slowing down the passion, letting go of his drive to take this further, he relaxed his hold upon her, moved them back into more sweet, gentle kisses and soft, tender touches. When it was right, he pulled his mouth from hers and leaned his head back, maintaining his embrace about her, however.

Rose's cheeks were flushed with blood, her eyes a bit glassy as she looked up at him through a half-lidded stare. "That was nice," he exhaled shakily and gave her a tremulous smile. "Did you think so, too?"

She blinked several times. "Huh? Oh, yes, nice." Her eyes dipped back to his lips in a silent appeal for more.

Oh, he _so_ wanted to give in! He wanted to lift her dress, tear at her knickers and bare her for his exploration. He wanted to conjure a bed for them and lay her back into the mattress and go down on her, feasting at her pussy. He could smell her arousal, knew if he touched her between her thighs now, she'd be soaking wet for him.

_Do it, _his Veela screamed at him, clawing with renewed eagerness to get at her. _Take her just like this, against the wall! Make her our mate this time!_

_This is only the dream world, _he calmly reminded that obnoxious side of himself. _If we make love to her in here, it won't be a genuine mating, and you know it. Don't you want us to save that for the outside world, where it will count? Don't you want to know how it will be to mark her with our real scent and fangs and to come deep inside her real body? _

Snarling in frustrated anger, the Veela threw up its claws and sulked away into the depths of his mind, clearly having given up for the night, realizing the truth in his words. Thank Slytherin!

Reluctantly, he let Rose go, stepping back. "I think it's clear from that little experiment that we're physically compatible – and not because of the Veela."

She was staring at her feet and didn't respond. Her fists were clenched at her sides.

He ran a hand through his hair again and growled at her obvious intention to avoid the truth. "Why is it so hard for you to accept that you might find me attractive? Would it help if I said you're the sexiest thing I've ever seen and that your kiss blew me away?" Here he faltered, feeling oddly vulnerable about taking his confession a step further and admitting that he'd thought that way about her for years, even back when they were kids. Should he reveal such a thing to her in the hopes it would break down barriers between them? Or, should it keep it to himself so she couldn't use it against him?

He considered it seriously during those strained moments of silence between them.

Rose looked incredibly torn, unsure of herself – two things he'd never seen from her before. It gripped his heart and made him feel sad in a way he'd never known before. This was not the girl he'd always known, who'd been so self-assured, so witty, so strong-willed. It bothered him that she'd been reduced to a cowardly silence as she struggled with her feelings.

He decided to make it easier for her by giving something of himself up, and prayed she never threw it back in his face. "I fancied you all through school, you know."

Her head jerked up, and in her eyes there was astonishment, disbelief, and… was that maybe a glimmer of hope?

"It's true," he admitted, shoving his hands into his Muggle jeans front pockets. "I could never tell you, and I didn't even realize it until the Yule Ball during our Sixth Year, but I'd been a wanker to you for so long because even negative attention from you was better than no attention."

Stunned, she stared at him with incredulity – which morphed into fury in record-breaking time. "You can't say that!" she vehemently insisted. "You can't just treat me like shite for so many years and then blame it on… on… some misplaced, twisted idea of romantic interest!"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Why not? It's true. You wanted honesty from me. Well, there it is."

"I… You… NO!" she shouted. "You can't!"

A thought occurred to him then that sent tongues of hope dancing through his system. He stepped back into her private space, crowding her once more against the wall. His hands gripped her waist, holding her steady and still as his head dipped dangerously close to her mouth again. "You know what I think, Rose?" He didn't give her time to reply; it was a rhetorical question anyway. "I think you're against the idea because you did exactly the same thing to me. You were horrible to me from day one without any provocation from me and for a reason I can't even begin to understand, but I think, as the years went past, you began to fancy me back. You certainly kept up a convincing charade, though." He rubbed his nose along her cheek and slid his hand back up her dress to cup her breast again, kneading gently. Her body quivered and he could feel her tautly tense up and push back as far as possible into the wall as she tried to fight the reignited arousal. He simply stepped into her until there was no room between them for her to maneuver. "It's been on-going in your mind for so long that you can't see anything else but hatred for me now. It's the only thing keeping you from admitting you were wrong." He nipped the corner of her lips, licked them, and pinched her nipple through the soft chiffon, making her gasp and close her eyes against the pleasure. "And we both know how much you _hate_ being wrong, don't we, Rose? It's your one hot-button."

"S-stop," she whimpered, carefully not touching him back, keeping her hands fisted at her sides.

Scorpius decided to dig deep into the ruthless side of his personality as he tried to make her see reason. "Your misguided pride, Rose, is all that keeps us from enjoying each other. From allowing me to court you properly. For us to have fun and try to make this a good mating. From you enjoying this…" He rubbed his steely arousal with light pressure against her pelvis. A moan slipped her lips again and her breath hitched. "Think about that when you're alone in your bed at night… or in your shower and soaping yourself down. I know I will."

With that, he released them both from the dream.

His eyelids popped open to the familiar sight of his bedroom. He had a raging hard-on.

_You should have fucked her, dream or not._

He sighed tiredly, rolled over and tried to ignore his erection – and the snarking Veela. It was a futile attempt, though, and he was forced to deal with both problems before finally being able to succumb to real, undisturbed sleep.

* * *

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

_**

* * *

**_

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

**Yes, I will address the issue of Lucius/Narcissa's mating and how Voldemort's presence interfered with the Veela's natural instincts to protect its mate and children. That will be an ASIDE chapter in the near future.**

**Please review this chapter!**


	7. Chapter 6: Casualty of Disagreement

_**CHAPTER 6: CASUALTY OF DISAGREEMENT **_

_**fWednesday, July 2nd, 2031 (morning-afternoon)**_

Rose flipped through every single one of her favorite fantasies that morning after waking up to rid herself of the arousal Scorpius had ignited within her, but neither of her self-induced climaxes in bed was enough; she was still desperate for more.

No, not for more – for _him_.

For Merlin's sake, they hadn't even truly touched yet! Her need had been inflamed from a distance - _in a dream_ – and from only a single kiss and a little fondling! Gods above, what would it be like if they were to do such things for real? Would she humiliatingly fall to her knees and beg Scor to shag her rotten, even if they were in public?

NO. _F-ING._ WAY.

No matter how attractive he may be or how hot he made her, she _absolutely refused_ to end up some notch on his bedpost for him to brag about to his mates.

Actually, she'd be worse than just a simple one-off, wouldn't she? She'd be the bint that could never say 'no'; the chick who would have to tolerate his infidelities, because no matter how awful he was to her, once he mated her, she would be stuck wanting him desperately for the rest of her life - her and about a million other women, all of whom he'd be more than happy to service, she was sure (the bloody, jangling man-slag). A life of broken-heartedness awaited her if she gave in to his seduction; Aunt Fleur had made things crystal clear for her in that respect. For that reason, she had to remain staunchly against her rival's attempts to touch her again, dream or otherwise. She also had to force herself to stop thinking of him - and what sex might be like with him (something she, regrettably, had been unable to accomplish since her mum had come home the afternoon after her 'date' with Scor's dad and explained how abso-bloody-lutely wonderful the mating had been – in _excruciating, exacting_ detail).

Frustratingly unsatisfied by her attempts to quell the fiery need between her legs, she got up and hit the shower instead. Intentionally setting the temperature of the water to cold (bloody, _wanking_ hell!), she quickly cleaned off the sweat and scent of sexual release from her body. That done, she dressed for Quidditch, grabbed some toast and tea for breakfast, and then Apparated out to her team's pitch for practice.

Sadly, her mind was having trouble focusing on perfecting new dive-roll techniques for catching the Snitch her coach had shown her, and she'd ended up colliding with the exhibition stands and injuring her arm. With a healer on-call for such emergencies, she was quickly patched up, but she'd refused the foul-tasting pain medication, as it tended to make her sleepy as well (a side-effect she didn't want at the moment, as she was already struggling against the fatigue that pulled at her from not getting enough rest the night before).

Calling it a day an hour earlier than usual with an excuse to the coach, she Apparated home, showered again and changed into Muggle jeans, a favorite tee, a sexy lingerie set and a pair of comfy trainers. Putting her hair up in a ponytail at the top of her head, she applied some lip gloss and mascara, and decided to put in a call to her boyfriend, hoping to catch him as he was finishing up his own training and convince him to join her for a little fun in the Alley.

If there was anyone who could help get her out of her funk, it was Corwin, surely.

**X~~~~~X**

The Magpies were just calling it a day when she appeared at the edge of their pitch, in the gate heading towards the locker rooms. As the team members descended on their brooms, they recognized her (how could they not in what she was wearing?), calling out 'hello' and making good-natured ribs about her poor taste in apparel.

Corwin's grin bloomed from ear to ear as soon as he saw her, and he laughed out loud at her choice of tees. "Let me guess: it's laundry day and this was the only clean shirt you had available?" he teased, dismounting his broom and hurrying to her to gather her up in a big, sweaty hug.

"Don't you like it?" she coyly asked, fingering over the lettering of her purple and white 'I heart the Holyhead Harpies' shirt. "I thought it would bring a little splash of color into your world. Your uniforms _are_ so terribly dull, Cor. White on black on gray - monochromatic much?"

He spanked her arse once and growled in her ear, whispering low. "Makes me want to rip it off of you and shag you hard right here."

"Why don't you?" she dared him, her nose meeting his, her eyes half-lidded in challenge.

He stared at her for less than ten seconds before lifting her easily with one arm, remounting his broom and flying them to the top of one of the observation towers. As soon as they got there, he dropped his broom and kissed her hard.

After casting the combination Contraceptive-Disease Charm upon her belly, her wand and their clothing were lost in a tussle of quick movements, and then he had her pulled onto his lap and impaled upon his very stiff cock as he sat on the bench and they faced each other. Cajoling her with naughty words, Corwin bounced her up and down on his lap with fervor.

It became exasperatingly clear to Rose within moments that she wouldn't be able to come, her body not responding to her boyfriend as it had previously. She faked it, though, not wanting him to know her disappointment, crying out with him and mimicking the motions as if she were experiencing orgasm as he came inside her.

_I will not cry_, she firmly told herself in the afters_. A girl doesn't always come every single time she has sex, after all. _

Reasoning that her failure to achieve release was most likely a result of the fact that she'd already gotten off twice today, and pardoning her sham orgasm by telling herself that Cor probably hadn't noticed anyway, she held back her tears and kissed him, allowing her mouth to properly revere him even if the rest of her body couldn't.

_I simply will __not__ cry!_

"That was awesome, Rosie," Cor practically purred in contentment in her ear, his hot breath blasting against her throat. "Thanks, baby." He lightly spanked her again and kissed her hard. "So, did you come all the way over here just to molest me, then?"

She shook her head, playing lightly with the short hair near his left ear. "I wanted to know if you would go to the Alley with me for some ice cream, actually."

"I'm allergic to dairy," he admitted somewhat sheepishly. "But I can come along and watch you eat all the fattening ice cream you want."

Something about the way he'd said that didn't settle well with her. "I'd only get a small scoop - hardly enough to put anything on my hips. And it's not like I don't exercise like mad." She shrugged, her mood plummeting even further. "We could go somewhere else if you wanted instead. Maybe _Flourish & Blotts_? The Scamanders have a new book out. Could be fun to find out what new creatures they've discovered on their safaris around the world."

He shook his head, amused. "Only you, Rosie, could find a trip to the book store a romantic date setting."

Now her mood was turning black. Disentangling from her lover, a cool breeze hit her fanny, and she looked about, realizing in a second that not only was she completely naked for the whole world to see, but additionally, she was feeling a touch emotionally vulnerable from Cor's unintentional callousness. She quickly gathered her clothes and redressed, then reclaimed her wand. "What's wrong with that?" Casting a _Scourgify_ over herself to get rid of the mess of their sex, she shook her head. "Look, let's just forget it. It was a spur-of-the-moment idea, anyway. Not well-thought out, I know." Fiddling with her wand, she refused to look at him, staring out over the wide expanse of the empty pitch, her mind absently noting the landscape. "Honestly, I'm a little more tired than I thought, I guess. And what we just did…" _Made me feel a little weird_, she thought, but did not say it aloud. "We can try again another day."

As she stepped away, Cor grabbed her hand and stopped her. Unabashedly, magnificently nude, he made his feet and came to her, hugging her tightly into his chest. "I'm sorry, baby, if I said something to make you upset. I was just playing with you." He kissed her temple. "Let me get dressed, and we'll go to _Fortescue's_ and _Flourish & Blott's_, okay? We have a nice evening together."

_I WILL NOT cry!_ she shoved the thought down her throat, determined not to be so stupidly weepy. It was only an orgasm, for Circe's sake – no big deal.

Even as she nodded in acquiescence to her boyfriend's plan, in the back of her head, a little voice kept whispering to her that her inability to find sexual enjoyment with Corwin was a _much_ bigger deal than she was admitting to.

**X~~~~~X**

_**Thursday, July 3rd, 2031 (morning-afternoon-evening)**_

Scorpius hadn't come to her last night, thank Merlin. She'd been having a delicious dream of him ravaging her up against the wall back in their school days, and it would have been extremely embarrassing had he seen that. Instead, she'd enjoyed a rather satisfying orgasm from the stuff of her dreams and had woken that morning to the feeling of physical contentment (finally!).

It disturbed her to no end that she was dreaming of having sex with her biggest rival, though. She shouldn't want that, and wondered if it wasn't something he was doing on the sly to force her thoughts along that path.

Stupid slagging Scorpius and his bloody Veela!

Today, there was no practice, so after a quick shower and breakfast, she headed down to the Ministry law library to do some research on the legal issues surrounding Veela matings. She held onto hope that there may yet be a way out of this arrangement with Malfoy, thoughts of a future with Corwin foremost in her mind.

Jen the Librarian was extremely helpful in gathering up resource materials and allowing her to use a Replication Spell (an invention of her mum's) to take home pertinent pages. Together, they managed to copy over one-hundred and fifty pages worth of material – everything the library could offer on the subject. That had taken the better part of the day to accomplish, and it wasn't until four o'clock that Rose dragged herself back to her flat, stack of paperwork in hand to go through.

Lucy appeared with Eleri and Lily around six o'clock to convince her to temporarily abandon her efforts to grab some dinner with them in the Alley. Changing her grungy clothing for something more appropriate, the girls headed out to Ringo's, a wizarding pub named in honor of the half-blood former member of that famous insect group that the Muggles had gone bananas over some seventy years previous.

The place was packed, as Thursday nights were always half-off hard liquor nights. Ordering a pint of Butterbeer from the bar directly, not really in the mood for heavy inebriation, Rose took a seat next to her friends in a booth against the wall and watched the comings and goings of her fellow magical practitioners, all the while enjoying the sounds of a live classic rock band playing a set cover of songs by The Weird Sisters in the corner of the room. When the waitress came, she'd ordered a burger and chips – standard fare now in the wizarding world, after the war had seen an increase in the adoption of many things Muggle, most especially the food selections.

"So, how's the thing with Scor coming?" Eleri launched right in during a lull in the music.

Rose shrugged, trying to play it cool. "He's invaded my dreams again – tried to get me to admit to liking him physically."

Lily snorted. "That's not too hard. He's a masterpiece, that one. I'm nut-up jealous."

Luce simply nodded in agreement.

Sighing, Rose tried to convey her annoyance. "It's not that simple. I'm with Cor."

From across the table, Eleri's odd violet eyes watched her carefully as she sipped on her margarita. "So, you're not going to break it off with Corwin, then - even while Scorpius is chasing you?"

Rose shook her head. "Why should I? He's probably shagging his way through London even as we speak."

"Doesn't that bother you?" Luce asked gently. "I mean, I'd be angry, if it were me."

Snorting, Rose took a good swig of her drink. Maybe she _would_ get plowed tonight. She could just take a hangover potion in the morning before heading off to practice… "It's not like it would be a big surprise. He's a total slag and everyone knows it. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he'd shagged half our class and then some back in school."

"I bet he did," Lily reminded her. "Well, except me. I can't speak for the rest of you, but I never got a piece of that. I know Alicia didn't either – she was too hot for Marcus the whole time we were in school. Molly – she didn't do younger guys. The twins… eh… maybe. Who can say with them?"

Their food came up just then, and they ate a bit in silence and listened to the band strike up a slower tune next.

"So, did you and Scor get a chance to-" Luce started to ask, but Rose abruptly cut her off.

"Can we not talk about Scorpius Malfoy? I'm eating."

Everyone went silent at the table again, only this time, there was a palpable awkwardness.

"Sorry," she grumbled when her mouth was clear. "It's just… we kissed."

Eleri started, and swiftly looked up at her, surprise evident in her features.

"Not in real life," she amended. "In the dream." Squirming in her seat, she realized how uncomfortable it was to talk about such a thing with others. That moment had felt rather private. "I was having a nightmare, and he pulled me out of it. I don't remember what it was about, but I felt 'off' after that. And he was so bloody _nice_. I was already distracted and it threw me – made me vulnerable to his advances. We kissed."

"Because he was kind to you?" Luce blinked owlishly, confused.

Rose shook her head. "Because I thought if we did that, it would prove there was nothing between us. All of you _did_ say that after our rather embarrassing wank-fest that time back in school, that neither of us remembered it. I brought it up, and you were right: he didn't remember it either. So, I thought that meant it wasn't a big deal, and if he kissed me – like he was begging to do – then it would prove to him that we weren't compatible." She put her burger down, her stomach turning about at the memory.

"But you were wrong."

Her eyes met Eleri's and she confirmed her friend's assessment with a single nod.

"So, it was good, huh?" Lily asked, smirking with amusement.

Rose felt her cheeks color, and she dropped her eyes to her plate.

"_That_ good?" Lily readjusted her supposition with a chuckle. "Was it like every rumor I've ever heard about him – sizzlingly hot?"

Another curt nod. It was all Rose could manage at that moment, as her heart was pounding in her throat. She took a sip of her drink, wetting her lips and suddenly dry mouth, ignoring the anger that simmered in her chest as she realized that the kiss she'd shared with her relentless pursuer was really no big deal to someone like him in the grand scheme of things. It was, most likely, just like any of the others he'd experienced with his scores of other women, as Lily unintentionally reminded her.

"But your opinion of him hasn't changed?" Eleri asked, her face a blank mask, unfathomable in that moment.

Rose shook her head. "I can't-" Her face heated up. "I _can't_ let this mating happen. He'll control me with sex. He'll hurt me, not just emotionally, but physically."

"As in beat you?" Luce asked, chewing on the end of a chip. "I thought the Veela was a protector, not an abuser. That's what Aunt Fleur says."

It was time her friends knew the whole truth. "Honestly, I _really_ don't like his Veela side. It scares me a little. It talks as if it already owns me, and it stares at me as if it already knows what I look like under my clothes." She squirmed, trying not to let the shivering creeps get the better of her. "Besides, there are other ways to hurt a person that may not seem like violence at the time, you know. My mum mated Scorpius' dad a few days ago. She told me all about it, and it sounded pretty violent, even though she claimed to have loved every second of it. There were bruises all over her where he'd left love bites and where his hands had dug in – and that's just what I could see. And she had a scar on her neck where he'd bitten her and sealed it over with magic. She says it'll never go away – it's his mark, branding her as his." She sniffed in disdain. "As if she were cattle. How positively barbaric."

If not for the background noise of the pub, the silence between the four of them would have been _très_ uncomfortable.

"_Your_ mum and _his _dad?" Luce finally broke the stalemate, her tone incredulous.

"Holy shite," Lily breathed out a heavy exhale. "Aunt 'Mione fucked Scor's dad? You're kidding, right?"

Eleri said nothing, her narrowed gaze lost in thought.

Rose shook her head. "Unfortunately, not kidding. They'd been each other's first loves back in their school days, but because of the war, they couldn't be together. They were on opposite sides, as you well know from the stories. And then after the war, my mum hooked up with my dad, so Mr. Malfoy had had to take a different mate – Scorpius' mother."

"Wait, wait, _wait!_ Wouldn't that make you related now?" Luce asked, confused. "Your future father-in-law is now your step-dad, and… _ewww_… that makes your mate your step-brother."

Rose gave a half-shake of her head. "Mum's not marrying Mr. Malfoy officially. They'll only be dating, in effect, so he won't be my step-anything – and neither will Scorpius, for that matter. She's changing her name back to Granger, though. That way, there won't be any legal issues." She frowned, disappointed by that news. "She's making it clear that she's no longer a Weasley. It almost feels like she's trying to deny she was ever involved with my dad."

Honestly, that bothered Rose a hell of a lot because she and her dad were tight. She adored him – always had, being daddy's little girl.

"Wow, that's… _wow_," was all Lils could say, shaking her head. "How did your dad and Hugo take the news?"

Rose took a big gulp of her drink then. "We went to see them together the same night she came back home. 'Emergency family meeting,' she'd called it. She dropped the bomb without much preamble. You know Hugo – nothing really fazes him. He rolled with the punches and gave a 'congrats' to mum before heading out to hang with his chummies. Dad - he seemed a little sad, but he also seemed as if some riddle had finally been solved for him. There was a… well, an odd kind of peace about him after that. That's the best way to describe it, I guess. He kissed my mum on the cheek and wished her the best in her new life."

"_Super _big of him," Lily commented. "Even if he has moved on and been married to your step-mum for years, I always got the impression that Uncle Ronnie still carried a torch for Aunt 'Mione. My dad always said he, your dad and your mum were 'The Inseparable Golden Trio,' but now it seems like they've done just that – moved apart, I mean." She pushed her fork around in her lettuce. "That's kind of depressing, actually. Like, it's the end of an era or something."

That sunk in for a few seconds with no one disturbing the thought. Then, Lucy huffed a bit and livened things up a bit by snapping her fingers and affecting a mischievous grin. "Hey, come on, ladies! Let's lighten the mood a little, yeah? You're all blagging my happy-factor here!"

Lily shoved a mouthful of salad into her mouth with a muttered, 'sorry.'

Her best friend turned and elbowed Rose in the ribs. "So, tell us more about this kiss." She giggled like the air-head she often pretended to portray. "Oooh, and what about Corwin? Merlin's hairy eyeball, Rose, now you've got two of the most eligible bachelors in all of the U.K. courting you! Talk about a dilemma! Who to pick? Wait - maybe you can have _both?_" Her eyes positively sparkled in excitement over the idea. "I've always been curious about ménage a trois action, especially when both of the men adore you and want to shag you delicious!" She sighed with longing and sat back in the bench, a dreamy look on her face. "How _utterly_ romantic!"

Eleri finished her margarita and set the glass down, still not looking anyone in the eye.

Rose picked up her hamburger, intending on digging in, her stomach rumbling. "Stop getting all moony-eyed. There's no choice to make. It doesn't matter how good he kisses in a dream, Malfoy comes with entirely too many negative faults – the greatest of which is his inability to stay faithful to a single woman. I refuse to be tied to a tomcat. And I won't let myself become one of _those_ girls – you know the kind that crawls back despite the abuse because the sex is so good. No _fecking_ way."

"So, you're still refusing the mating?" Lily asked seriously. "You really think you can do that?"

Idealistically nodding, Rose set her resolve firmly in mind once more. "I'm looking for a loophole in the law. That's what all the paperwork was on my table when you showed up – copies of legal cases involving Veela. I'm going to sift through every single one of them, and if that's not enough, I'll go back and look for more material. There has to be a way out of this mate crap. It's medieval to force someone to be married against their will."

"Before you try to end things, you should kiss him again - for _real_ this time. Just to be sure."

Rose paused with the burger at her lips and stared with astonishment across the table at Eleri. "_What?_" she asked, dropping her food out of the way.

The former Queen of Slytherin glanced at her through dark, sooty lashes. "Kiss Scorpius outside of the dream. Make sure you don't want him before you toss him aside." She didn't look happy for some odd reason, a frown marring her pretty features.

Now Rose put the burger back on her plate and wiped her hands on her lap napkin. "Not a chance in hell! Not if I can help it," she vowed. "Why would you-?"

She didn't get the rest out, as Eleri's next words floored her.

"You're the luckiest bitch in the world, Rose Eleanor Weasley, but you're just too bloody stubborn to see it." Tears streaming down her cheeks, Slytherin's former Queen threw her napkin onto the table and ran out in a very uncharacteristic display of emotion, leaving her three friends confused by the outburst in her wake.

**X~~~~~X**

_**Friday, July 4th, 2031 (early morning – just past midnight)**_

Standing on a green hill, overlooking a valley uninterrupted by civilization, a warm breeze tickled her bare legs. Looking down, she realized she was in a rather short, summer cotton dress that cinched at the waist, buttoned up the middle, had two skimpy straps over her shoulders to hold it up, and nearly showed off her knickers. It was a lovely shade of pastel blue, that she was sure would make her eyes 'pop.' Her feet were bare. Brushing a hand over her head, she realized that her hair was free flowing down her back.

"The dress could be a bit longer," she griped at the presence she felt just behind her, unwilling to give Scorpius any leeway. He was the creator of these dreams, after all, and he could at least provide her with appropriate clothing (not that she didn't like this outfit - because she _did_ - but that was beside the point).

"You look lovely in it," he murmured closing the distance between them, pressing his hard, sculpted body against her back and dipping his mouth to her ear. His breath, only slightly warmer than the air currents about them, made her shiver as it moved past her sensitive skin. "And this way I can properly worship your legs."

Too close. They were too bloody close!

She made to step away from him, but he seemed to have anticipated the intent; his arms came about her to enclose her in a gentle embrace. "Hello, Rose," he greeted her with a soft kiss to her cheek. "I've missed you."

It took her two tries to speak properly. "Let me go, please."

"How have you been? It's been two days," he intentionally ignored her request. "Tell me what you've been doing. How's practice going?"

This familiarity was dangerous. She'd unwittingly given him the 'green light' (as her mother was sometimes fond of saying) when she'd kissed him, and now he was taking full advantage. Cursing her stupidity for even allowing that line to have been crossed, she again squirmed against him, trying to break his hold around her. "Stop this, Scor. We're not friends, so stop pretending as if we were."

He sighed heavily and opened his arms. Immediately, she moved several steps away – enough to avoid him grabbing at her again, anyway. "No, we're not friends, yet," he regretfully confirmed. "But, baby, I'm trying to be. _Work_ with me here."

Glancing over at him, expecting a fight, she was completely thrown-off by the vision that greeted her. He was dressed in a tight black long-sleeve with some black-silver design on it that showed off an incredibly well-maintained and buffed torso, shoulder and arms, dark blue jeans, black shoes and a silver torque about his neck. His hair was immaculate, and he sported a bit of a five o'clock shadow on his upper lip and cheeks, adding a dash of roguish charm to his very handsome features. Just the sight of him took her breath away, and made her remember his kiss…

No, she refused to go there! She would not be led about by her… genitalia, as too many other women she knew were.

"I don't suppose I'm getting out of here until we talk, so… fine, let's talk," she brusquely yielded. Sighing, she brushed her hair back from her face and gave a quick recap of the last couple of day's events, editing for privacy sake, of course. "Wednesday, I went to Quidditch practice. They're teaching me a new tactic for rolling to catch the Snitch – one of Oliver Wood's new maneuvers specifically designed for me as a favor to the team's owner, I was told." She shrugged, making it into no big deal in the hopes of moving that conversation right along, jumping over her liaison with Corwin all together. "Today was pretty long and tiring. I spent some time at the Ministry, and later met up with two of my cousins and one of my girlfriends for dinner in the Alley. We were talking, and Eleri – Eleri Nott… you remember her from school? she was in Slytherin with you – she got mad at me and stormed out. I hurt her feelings without meaning to. I'm honestly not even sure why our discussion would get her so bloomin' angry, but she was crying when she left. I feel really shitty about that." She was _so_ sending her friend an apology owl tomorrow, giving her time to cool-down so they could try to work out the issue. "And now I'm here," she finished succinctly. "The end. Can I go now?"

Hesitantly, he sat down nearby in the grass, stretching his long legs out before him, leaning back on the palms of his hands. "Have a seat, Rose, and stop trying so bloody hard to be mad at me all the time. Is it so awful of me to want to spend time with you and get to know you better?"

He sounded bone-wearily sad there at the end; the emotion pulled at her heartstrings.

Alright, so she was being a total bitch, wasn't she? And he was being completely nice and _probably_ didn't deserve her scorn (although he was Slytherin, so there was no telling just exactly what he'd been up to lately… although she had her suspicions). "Okay," she sighed in concession and found a spot across from him. Tucking her legs modestly under her, she looked down at her hands in her lap. "So, um, how about you?"

"I've been managing," he admitted. "Some days it's harder than others to shut the Veela inside up, but mostly, I can ignore him if I keep busy either helping my grandmother out in the greenhouse with her prized flowers, or running errands for my family's company."

Rose bit her bottom lip, her Ravenclaw curiosity getting the better of her again. "What's it like? Having to live with the Veela?"

He shrugged. "I'll tell you what I told Marcus: it's like living with a horny sixteen-year old sibling. All he ever goes on about is claiming you, the pushy, little bastard."

_He._ Scorpius spoke of his Veela as a separate entity again, just as he had the other day. It was strange, but neither her mum nor Aunt Fleur thought of a Veela as separate from the person it shared a life with, and yet in Malfoy's case, he clearly felt and knew a distinction.

It was time to find out more. If there was a problem with Scorpius' Veela, then surely that would be a reason the Wizengamot would rule in her favor to avoid the mating. "Tell me about him, your other half," she cautiously requested. "It would help me to understand you both better."

"Where do you want me to start?" He sounded decidedly pleased in her interest.

"At the beginning," she cunningly snooped, utilizing some of the tactics she'd learned over the years in prying information from others (Eleri had been her best teacher to this effect). "Why is your family tied to the Veela, and for how long has that been going on?"

He sighed. "It's kind of a long story."

She pointedly looked around her. "We appear to have plenty of time."

He rolled his shoulders and smirked. "You asked for it. According to my family's private records, the first Veela interbred into my family in the late 16th century. My ancestor, Theodosis Black, ingratiated himself into the scourge known as 'The Roman Inquisition,' in an effort to find and eliminate muggle-born witches and wizards, under the guise of aiding the Roman Catholic Church's cause. He was a pureblooded bigot who wanted to purge all possibility of muggle-born magic users from breeding wizarding children, and the Inquisition gave him the ability and the right to do so under Muggle law." He winced and shook his head with regret. "When the French Wizarding Ministry caught up to ol' Theodosis, though, he was punished for his transgressions," he continued. "At the time, there was no Azkaban – the prison was built in the mid-seventeenth century, and this took place nearly eighty years before. In those days, a wizard found guilty of heinous crimes had his wand confiscated, his magic sealed away inside him so he could never use it again, and/or he was banished. Because he'd been such a bad boy, my ancestor had all three done to him. He was sent east, to the Ottoman Empire – which, at the time, had a strict policy of beheading any believed wizards and witches – and he was cursed never to set foot again on land this side of the Aegean Sea. He was also given the official designation '_Le Mal Foi_,' meaning 'The Bad Faith,' for his crimes against the wizarding community."

Rose considered such a fate. How awful would it be never to be able to use magic again? It was the foundation of everything she was, and was almost as necessary to her as air. She couldn't imagine wanting to live after being given such a sentence.

Scorpius shifted, tucking those long legs of his against his chest. He lay his arms over them, the muscles bunching as he did so. Merlin Almighty, he had a fine body! She had to shift her gaze to his feet to avoid feeling the burn of arousal again. Thankfully, Scorpius didn't seem to notice, too engrossed in his story.

"The Ministry expected Theo to die outright, but he was a very crafty fellow and blended into his new environment with some ease. In fact, he became quite the successful business entrepreneur, and started a rather prosperous merchant trade in herbs."

Rose knew, from her reading, what that _really_ meant. "Herbs?" she knowingly smirked at him. "You mean he was fronting as a legitimate business to smuggle in cannabis, I presume?"

Her companion grinned. "Scandalous, right?" He lost his teasing smile a moment later, however. "Actually, from what I gather, Theodosis was a right fucker. The reason why my family carries the curse of the Veela is because of him."

"Curse?" she frowned, taken aback. "I thought it was a hereditary gift, since Veela are very powerful magical creatures."

Scorpius shook his head firmly. "Believe me, it's a curse."

"How-?" she began, but he cut her off.

"I'm getting to it, if you'd let me."

Clamping her lips together, Rose remained silent, letting his finish, honestly interested now in getting to the bottom of this particular mystery.

He picked up where he'd left off in his story. "It was in the early spring of his fifty-second year when Theo met a beautiful, blonde woman on his way to the market. Turns out she was a Veela and he was her mate, and she'd spent a whole year tracking him down, first in France, then across Europe to modern day Turkey. This woman, Daneetzah, explained her intention to Theo, but being a pureblood snob, he refused her outright. She tried to woo him as a proper mate, and when that didn't work, she tried her Veela magic to force his hand. Even though _his _magic had been sealed away inside of him, he was still successfully able to fall back upon it to resist her seduction." He plucked a blade of grass and twirled it between his strong, pale fingers. "From how I understand it, it worked sort of like a nullifying force against her compulsion, and because he was a strong-willed man in his own right, he was able to block her mentally as well. She couldn't get him to bend and he was much too slippery for her to use her feminine wiles on him successfully."

He pulled some clover up next and began playing with it, bringing it to his nose and sniffing its subtle, earthy fragrance. "For months, she followed him around, trying to romance him, but he was having none of it. He continued working, growing his little 'herb' empire, and he bought women to keep him company. A year after they met, Daneetzah had finally enough, and she nearly killed one of his lovers in a fit of jealous rage. When that happened, Theodosis realized that she was a real threat to everything he'd spent years building. So, he captured her and imprisoned her in his home to assure she couldn't cause him any more problems ever again. He chained her to the floor with iron cuffs – the metal works against Veela the same as the Fae - and he cut off her wings, which took away a lot of her magical ability. He fucked her when she begged for it, and ignored her the rest of the time." He tossed the clover away and looked off to the side at the horizon, clearly upset. "He denied her at every turn, the rutting, lousy bastard, and he hurt her often simply because he could."

He was silent for several minutes, until finally Rose prompted him. "She cursed him for that?"

Scorpius shook his head. "No, she cursed him for killing her."

Sucking air in between her teeth in a hiss, Rose was shocked at the tragedy and level of violence perpetrated in Theodosis' mating. Would it be the same with her, if she kept denying Scorpius? Would she drive him to kill Corwin in a fit of jealous rage? Would she have to kill _him_ to make him stop? Was that what it would take?

_Oh. God._

A chill ran up her spine and she hugged herself tightly, trying to will it away.

He noticed her reaction, his eyes flickering to her, catching every movement, but it was clear from his reply that he misunderstood her action, thinking it was a result of the story alone. "Awful, I know. It gets worse, though." He ran a hand over his hair in a nervous gesture that was attractively boyish. "Daneetzah became pregnant almost from the get-go from great-great-et cetera grandad's frequent attentions. I guess it didn't occur to Theo that, at his age, he could knock a woman up, but _surprise, surprise!_ When he found out about the baby, he flew into a rage, intending upon murdering the child once it was born, seeing it as a half-breed human - which was worse than a half-blood or muggle-born wizard in his opinion. In a desperate bid to save her unborn son, the Veela gnawed off one of her hands at the wrist and used the blood to slick the other cuff enough so she could squeeze her wrist through and make her escape." He looked profoundly sorrowful at this, peculiarly making Rose's chest ache.

"At first, Theodosis didn't care," he continued, "but then five years went by and he never married and never had another child. By that time, my ancestor was a grey-headed geezer because he'd never properly mated the Veela. Because he didn't let her mark him, he didn't benefit from the prolonged life that comes with part of the mating package. He knew he'd most likely have no chance to get an heir on another woman then, staring pathetically down the barrel of old age. Regular people didn't usually live that long back then, you know; they were lucky to make it to forty. To prevent his line from dying out, Theo knew he'd have to do the absolute unthinkable: he'd have to accept the half-breed child as his, give it his name, and raise it with the lie that it was a pureblood human wizard."

"Hypocritical bastard," Rose indignantly opined.

Scorpius met her gaze again, his features very carefully crafted to give nothing of his true feelings away now. He'd shut down on her, compartmentalizing his emotions in true Slytherin style. "He spent the next two years tracking her down. She hadn't gone far – couldn't, because no matter what kind of an arse he was, Theodosis was her mate, and she was bound to stay nearby whether she willed it or not. When he finally caught up with her, he walked right up to her and stuck a dagger in her chest. Daneetzah had her revenge on him, though. As she lay mortally wounded, she hurled a final curse at her mate with her dying breath: Theodosis would die alone, physically withered and in pain until the end, doomed to be hated eternally by his only son. Further, all first born males in his line would know 'a Veela's pain' thereafter, in punishment for his cruelty to her for so long. She sealed the enchantment with the blood of her wound and then died."

Rose shut her eyes and turned away, shuddering as a fantasy image came unbidden to her mind of Scorpius in Daneetzah's place. "Merlin Almighty, how _awful_," she choked back a sob.

Her dream partner continued on as if he hadn't heard her. "Theodosis renamed the boy – who was six years old by then – Lycinus Black. He told his child all about his heritage as a member of an elite family of pureblooded wizards living in France, reliving those 'glory days' and beating those same ideals into the son he simultaneously resented for being a half-breed. As a result, Lycinus grew up hating his father, just as the Veela cursed. After Theodosis died exactly as the Veela had predicted, Lycinus took his father's journals and other belongings, and moved to France to find the Black family, intent upon starting over. When he reached the age of twenty-five, he suffered the changes of a male Veela's awakening, per the curse of his mother, and found his mate in the Flint family. He married her, and they had twin sons, Brutus and Pontus Malfoy, both of whom inherited the curse as well. Brutus is my direct ancestor. At some young age, while in school, Brutus got himself involved with a group of pureblood wizarding types and joined their club. Even though he was a half-blood himself, he went about championing the rights of purebloods, as if that could somehow make him different - a lot like what Voldemort the Mad did during his time. In any case, when Brutus came of age and his Veela awoke, his mate turned out to be a pureblood from the Slytherin family - which only furthered his delusion that his blood wasn't really as tainted as all that. He changed his last name to 'Malfoy' in honor of his grandfather's history as a 'righteous keeper of wizarding purity' and spent the rest of his life spouting pureblooded segregation, writing papers on it and giving speeches, all the time, living the lie that he wasn't sharing a life and a heritage with the Veela. It's been the same ever since in my family."

After composing her emotions, she glanced back over at the man who was destined to mate her. "That's quite a tale," Rose hesitantly stated, still shaken up with the idea that poor Daneetzah had met such a horrible fate – and all because she was biologically forced to love a black-hearted man. "So, how did you find out about the curse? Was Theo's story kept in his journals?"

Scorpius disdainfully sniffed and nodded. "He and his son, Lycinus, both kept private journals. Theodosis wrote down his memories in the throes of narcissistic inspiration, but his son's writings were more lucid and factual about the past and living with the Veela curse. It's a good thing, too, otherwise none of us in the family later would have understood what was happening to us."

Considering everything he said, she felt she understood a bit more of the picture, but there were still so many gaps that required an understanding on her part. "That explains the origins of the curse, but not the actual Veela itself," she pressed, pushing hair off her face as the wind gently blew russet strands into her eyes. "I really don't know much about them, honestly, aside from what we'd learned back in school. If you could just-"

"Our time is limited, Rose," he interrupted. "You can learn more another night. Right now, I want to touch you again." Rolling to his hands and knees quickly, he began crawling towards her. He moved too quickly for her to gain her feet; his face was less than an inch from hers in seconds. "I've missed you." His gaze dipped to her lips. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about the kisses we shared, or the feel of you in my arms." A hand came up and cupped her cheek, feathering her jaw softly. "Of your soft moans and your trembling body pressing against mine…"

His eyes swirled with liquid metal as his Veela came to the front again. "I remember you, mate." That conflux of voices enticed in a sultry tone. "I remember your scent and flavor and the feel of your tight, soft pussy from that night. I've waited so long for another taste. I want you again."

Panicked, Rose pushed against his shoulders, even as he pressed forwards, forcing her to lean back into the grass to avoid his kiss. "Scorpius?" She turned her head as he swooped down to claim her mouth. Undeterred, he began lathing wet, suckling kisses up the side of her neck instead. "Scorpius, stop him, please! He scares me, alright? _Your Veela scares me!_"

He stopped all movement, hovering, his hot breath gently blasting against the skin of her throat.

"You don't need to fear us, mate," he tried to reassure her. "We won't harm you."

She shook her head in denial. "You will," she whispered, feeling hateful tears fill her eyes, brim over hotly down her face. "I _know_ you will. I don't trust you."

He began shaking, and because she couldn't see his face, she wasn't sure if it was from anger or frustration or emotional hurt. When one hand came up to turn her head, she flinched and a fearful whimper unexpectedly escaped her lips. He paused again, put his hand back down and his head lowered to her neck instead. Sighing heavily against her skin, he calmed. "Rose, he's _so hard_ to fight off. Help me keep him from doing to you what you most fear. I don't want to hurt you. I want to win your love freely, not force it from you."

"He scares me, Scor," she whispered the truth again, turning her head so their cheeks brushed. "I'll admit that it's… okay… being with you, but him - I _don't_ like him."

Leaning back, he looked down upon her, his eyes bleeding back to normal, the shadows and harsh angles retreating from his face. "What if we struck a deal with him together – offered him something to keep him satisfied so that we could have time to date properly? I know you're attracted to me Rose, and you know that it's more than reciprocated. Other relationships have started on less." His fingers made a second attempt to touch her and this time, she didn't feel the need to wince or move away. Scorpius was feather-light in his caress of her jaw and cheek. "We bribe him to appease his lusts, and that'll give us time to ease into this relationship – to have fun and enjoy each other, rather than constantly be worried about him scaring you with the threat to immediately claim you."

She was insane for even considering it, but the idea had merit. At least it was something they could talk about. At this point, she'd grab onto any insane plan to keep the Veela from continually harassing her. It was bad enough she'd been having more and more nightmares lately, but she just _knew_ by instinct alone that _he_ was the cause of them. "Bribe him how, exactly?"

He glanced to the side, seemed to focus inward. In a blink, the Veela was back and this time, in full control. Scorpius' face changed in an instant, his hair lengthening, his eyes going dark and more feral. His shirt was gone, and bare-chested, he lay atop her, his beautiful white wings with blackened tips unfurling behind him to spread wide in a lazy stretch.

Staring down at her with those flowing-mercury orbs, his platinum-blond hair hanging about his ears and framing his incredibly handsome face, and a body of beautifully-sculpted muscle, he seemed like an angel fallen straight from Heaven. "We agree to the idea of a bargain if it will give us a chance to touch you regularly without you screaming your bloody head off, woman. Now, name your terms, pretty mate, and let's move on with this courtship already," he told her, his tone dripping seductive heat.

Rose tried hard to quell the quaking of her limbs, realizing what a compromising position she was currently in, quite literally: Scorpius was lying across her in a very sexual pose, the muscles of his shoulders and arms corded and holding him up with a strength that tempted her to reach out and touch it, just to feel in wonder the power held in check under the flesh. She clenched her hands to keep from making such a mistake. "You wouldn't be willing to take a different mate, would you?" she hoped, forcing herself to look into his eyes rather than at the gorgeous display of skin so enticingly offered before her.

Scorpius tilted his head, the movement rather raptor-ish. "No."

That one word made everything in her chest sink. "I don't love you, though. You know that."

The Veela staring down at her merely blinked once at that declaration. "Tell us what you need to accept the mating and we'll negotiate with you for it."

"But I don't want anything from you!" she stubbornly refuted, pushing on his shoulders to dislodge him from pinning her down. "I don't want to be your mate - period!"

Eyes narrowed, he lowered his face until he was less than an inch from her lips, his hands on her shoulders effectively holding her down with minimal effort. His eyes swirled with lust and anger now and his skin glowed with an unnatural pearlized sheen. "Why are you pushing me? I could just take you now and be done with this game. You'd love every second of my fucking you into the ground, Rose - you _know_ it," he threatened, his voice a solo, deep baritone, Scorpius' voice no longer part of the mix. Was this the real Veela, then – the monster hidden under the man's skin? He backed off a bit and sneered. "Lucky for you your boy-o, Scorpius, is demanding I treat you with respect, so I'm giving you a chance to make it easier to accept what's going to happen between us by naming the terms of our… dating." He was back in her face again, and a deep rumble echoed in his throat and chest. "But don't test my patience much further with talk of permanently refusing me, mate. You've angered me enough with your antics lately. You're lucky I haven't ripped Corwin's throat out."

She stilled instantly, every nerve in her body taut with horror and alarm. It was in this moment that she realized just how deadly a game she'd been thrown into – and that Scorpius' Veela wasn't really playing by the same rules. In his eyes, she saw the truth: he _would_ kill Corwin, and without losing any sleep over it.

"You're being hypocritical," she stated very matter-of-factly, rallying behind logic to keep from being totally intimidated to the point of surrender. "I don't know who you're with, but I _know_ you're sleeping around, too. You want fidelity from me, but I notice you won't promise it back." Now she was getting angry. She let her righteous indignation at this whole awful situation fuel an almost reckless bravado as she sneered back at him. "I won't end up enslaved to you like Daneetzah was to Theodosis – watching him parade around a bunch of woman, while she was denied everything. What kind of… mate… do you take me for?"

The Veela stared at her evenly for several long seconds, and then his lips twitched. "You've got a pair of brass ones, don't you, babe? It's one of the reasons why I chose you. That fiery, stubborn temper of yours gets me hard." He bent at the elbows again and brought his mouth over hers, nipping her bottom lip gently. "Alright, I won't be with any other partner sexually, so long as you agree to the same. Is that your only condition?"

Shite, he'd just turned it all around on her! He'd managed to get her to go against her own resolve by prickling her pride. Fuck! Manipulating bastard.

"Well?" he prodded. "Shall I take that to be the only concession standing in the way of mating you today?" he mercilessly teased, continuing to place small kisses over her chin and jaw. "Can we get down to the shagging then?"

Resolutely, she shook her head.

His tongue peeked out and lapped over her lips. "Then what more do you want? Now's not the time to be shy, Rose."

"Back off and give me a second to think, will you?" she demanded, while pushing against his arms again, finding it difficult to concentrate when he was erotically touching her, as it creeped her out completely and kept her guard up. Adhering to her request, he pulled his mouth away from hers, leaned over her and waited, his mocking smile irritating her in its fake attempt to appear congenial. "Okay, fine. If we kept meeting like this, then I don't want _you_ to be near me – just Scorpius," she negotiated, wanting to make it clear up-front how much she detested this animal that stared at her as if it owned her already.

The Veela shook its head. "No avoiding me altogether, mate. That's non-negotiable."

"Half, then," she countered.

He tilted his head again, his gaze dropping to her lips. "Agreed. Half of each meeting you will spend with him alone, the other half with me. We'll meet at least three times a week in the dream world, and once in real life – out on a real date, for the whole world to see us together."

"With Scorpius as referee during those times," she offset the deal. "I don't trust you not to try something without him to stop you."

The Veela actually smirked. "Agreed, so long as _I _get to fool around with you during those times we're together. That's also non-negotiable. I want a physical relationship with you, mate."

Rose felt her face blanch, even as her heart clenched in fear as she fully understood then what this bargain was all about: to keep the Veela from raping her outright, she was going to have to mete out a schedule of exactly how much of her body to whore out to him at a time. The idea made her positively sick. "Alright, but I set the pace. If I say, 'no,' you respect that and stop."

His smirk grew wider. "Agreed, so long as each week, we try something new at my discretion. You must be fully open to the experience, and not resist the first time we attempt it together."

She gave him a suspicious once-over. "Agreed, so long as it's a natural progression of intimacy – and I _know_ that you understand what I mean by that. We take it slow. Also, I don't want to do anything that I deem to be disgusting or potentially painful."

He grinned like a shark now, and his sharpened canines gleamed white against the creamy-pearl shine of his skin. "Agreed, so long as I can give you the First Mark exactly two weeks from today - in person, not in the dream world."

She swallowed thickly and reluctantly nodded. At least she would have that time to get used to the idea. "Agreed, so long as you don't try to force the other two marks on me."

His chuckle was positively sinful. "Agreed, so long as you agree that at the end of a month-long courtship, you'll let me mate you fully – which includes giving you the Second and Third marks. You'll give yourself to me willingly and fully at that time. You won't fight it."

That requirement brought everything to a screeching halt.

Closing her eyes, she fought back that sense of helpless frustration that swamped over her control, leaving her panicked and scared again. One month - four short weeks. If she agreed to this, she would have to give up her search for a way out of the mating. She'd have to give up Corwin and the dream of being his wife that had just begun to worm its way into her heart.

But then, the Veela never had any intention of letting her go from this mating, nor of allowing her to pursue a romance with Corwin. He'd made that perfectly clear at the beginning of all of this, hadn't he?

Putting her hands over her face, she began crying. "I hate you," she whispered around a sob.

The Veela would not allow her even the privacy of a moment's cry, however. His hands pulled hers from her face, the grip strangely gentle. "Bargain with me and you'll enjoy it, pretty mate. I promise." His lips parted over hers, teasing, tracing them. "It won't hurt this time. I'll make you burn with pleasure instead. Let me show you."

A rich, sweet flavor engulfed her senses as he pressed his kiss upon her, and somewhere in the back of her still-cognizant mind, Rose knew that he was using Veela pheromones against her, saturating the air about them with the fragrance, drenching his mouth in his unique chemical flavor and sharing that intoxicating high with her with every surge of his tongue. Warning bells went off, telling her to pull away, to fight the kiss, but her limbs simply refused to answer the call. Lethargy set in as Scorpius' bestial side utterly enthralled her, relaxing her into his seductive foreplay. He tasted like… "Chocolate and strawberries," she sighed in pleasure, her tears and sorrow and fury somehow simply forgotten in an instant.

Humming in approval, she tangled her tongue with his in a sensual, writhing dance that had them both moaning, her body unconsciously rubbing against his as the need within began to pulse and grow, requiring satisfaction soon. "Give me more," she breathed the plea as he made to let up. "One more kiss."

Soft fingers petted her hair. The Veela rubbed his cheek to hers, scent marking her, and she arched against him as her body sought relief from the rush of heat that passed through her, igniting her blood. "A few kisses and you see how you desperately want me, babe? That's not even a quarter of what I could offer you either. I could make you _beg_ for me to take you right now, if I wanted." He rubbed his pelvis against hers in demonstration, her short dress bunched up, exposing the white cotton knickers underneath. Her hips instinctively ground back against him, and absently she noted how large his erection was behind his jeans as it slid between her covered thighs. God, he was big!

"You know I don't have to offer you anything more than this," he continued the slow, humping glide. He kissed her softly on the lips, a quick, wet pull. "So, bargain with me, pretty mate. Agree to the terms we've lain out and Scorpius will be right – we'll all get what we want. Say 'yes' to the terms."

Her mind caught in a fog of desire, she nodded quickly, desperate to get back to the snogging part. "Yes. Okay, I agree. Now kiss me again, _please!_"

With an easy push-up, he disconnected their bodies and made his feet, looming over her. His wings spread wide, blocking the imagined sun, before he tucked them gracefully back in. A sadistic smile painted his lips. "Our time is up, it seems. You're going to have to wait, babe. See you tomorrow night."

With that, he dissolved upon the artificial wind.

**X~~~~~X**

Rose immediately came awake in her bed back in her flat, her heart thumping wildly, her body moist and tight with need.

"You bloody bastard!" she hissed into the darkness, her fingers already trailing between her thighs to stroke her arousal into flames. "You tricked me!" she whispered as she closed her eyes and reached for her orgasm, her memories of Scorpius' face, feeling his and his Veela's touch, tasting their kiss again, the phantom flavor of chocolate and strawberries making her mouth water. "Scorpius!" she cried out and came hard.

Panting in the aftermath, sticky and overheated, her anger and resentment simmered.

He'd tricked her using his Veela wiles. He'd actually managed to get her to beg. Was her mortification complete or what?

Fine. Two could play at that game. By tomorrow, when he'd threatened to see her again, she'd show him exactly why _no one_ fucked with Rose Weasley. She'd done her share of plotting and scheming back in school, and that part of her hadn't lost its edge, despite the years. She could be just as vindictive when required. And now that she knew what the Veela wanted most – her body – she knew exactly what she could do to get the edge over him.

Turn-about _was_ fair play, after all.

* * *

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

_**

* * *

**_

**AUTHOR'S END NOTES:**

**PLEASE REVIEW THIS CHAPTER! I'd love to hear your thoughts!**

The Montrose Magpies are home-based in Montrose, Scotland. Just a fun fact for you.

Yes, Ringo's is a blatant homage to The Beatles. I'm British – _of course_ I'd work them in somehow. ^_~

Roman Inquisition ( notation) - In 1542 Pope Paul III established the Congregation of the Holy Office of the Inquisition as a permanent congregation staffed with cardinals and other officials. It had the tasks of maintaining and defending the integrity of the faith and of examining and proscribing errors and false doctrines; it thus became the supervisory body of local Inquisitions. Arguably the most famous case tried by the Roman Inquisition involved Galileo Galilei in 1633. The penances and sentences for those who confessed or were found guilty were pronounced together in a public ceremony at the end of all the processes. This was the sermo generalis or auto-da-fé. Penances might consist of a pilgrimage, a public scourging, a fine, or the wearing of a cross. The wearing of two tongues of red or other brightly colored cloth, sewn onto an outer garment in an x pattern, marked those who were under investigation. The penalties in serious cases were confiscation of property or imprisonment. The most severe penalty the inquisitors could themselves impose was life imprisonment. Following the French invasion of 1798, the new authorities sent 3,000 chests containing over 100,000 Inquisition documents to France from Rome. After the restoration of the Pope as the ruler of the Papal States after 1814, Roman Inquisition activity continued until the mid-19th century, notably in the well-publicised Mortara Affair (1858–1870). In 1908 the name of the Congregation became "The Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office", which in 1965 further changed to "Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith", as retained to the present day[update]. The Pope appoints a cardinal to preside over the Congregation, which usually includes ten other cardinals, as well as a prelate and two assistants, all chosen from the Dominican Order.

Azkaban Prison – No date is given by JKR as to when the prison was built, although it was noted that it was used to house prisoners who used the Unforgivable Curses in the 1700's. For that reason, I can fudge with its inception date.

The Ottoman Empire in the mid-16th century outlawed cannabis imports because Egyptian hemp growers along the Nile led tax revolts, and they saw that those high on the drug were often disrespectful to the Ottoman Sultan and his government. The illegalization, however, had the negative effect of creating a black market trade in the drug, however, and because it could not be taxed any longer, a loss in significant revenue for the Empire.

Brutus Malfoy is one of the few Malfoy ancestors JKR officially talks about. He was a pureblood supremist living in the 17th century. You can read about him here: harrypotter . wikia . com / wiki / Brutus_Malfoy (remove all spaces from that URL to make it load properly). Since not much is known about his childhood, I made it all up to fit with this fic.

Theodosis Black, Daneetzah, Lycinus Malfoy and Pontus Malfoy are made-up characters for this fanfic.


	8. Chapter 7: Casualty of Insecurity

**_CHAPTER 7: CASUALTY OF INSECURITY _**

**_Saturday, July 5th, 2031 (morning-afternoon)_**

Scorpius was in a right sour mood the next morning. His Veela had made a bargain with Rose last night that had _not_ been to their mutual satisfaction.

Sure, he'd get a month in which he'd be allowed to romance the girl of his dreams and win her affection properly – but he'd only get to spend half of that time in charge of his own body. The creature within wanted its chance to get physical with their mate, and Scorpius was only going to be allowed to watch, not really participate. Technically, yes, it would be his body that touched her, but it would be the _Veela_ at the helm; he'd be relegated to some secondary bystander who could watch, hear, taste, smell and feel, but couldn't _control_ a bloody thing. His bestial other half had made it clear last night that he could and would dominate their shared body to get what he wanted, and his host would have little say in the matter.

Was this normal? Had his father and grandfather had similar problems controlling their Veela sides?

He wasn't about to ask them. Some things were just too personal, and besides, he still had his pride. This was something he and his Veela had to work out.

Sitting down at the desk in his room, he got out parchment, quill and ink and composed the letter he'd been mulling over since breakfast. It took him half a dozen tries before he was satisfied with the note:

**_Dear Rose,_**

**_I realize that it's very short notice, but if you have no other plans, I'd like to call upon you tonight and take you to dinner. May I pick you up at your home at seven o'clock? Please provide your response and the address by return owl._**

**_Yours, _**

**_Scorpius_**

He sent the message off with one of the Eagle owls from his family's Aviary, and after went into the library to read more on Veelas. His other half was, he noted, strangely quiet today, as if it were slumbering. The feeling he got was that it was exhausted, but content that it had won its concessions last night from its mate, and therefore unconcerned with the petty day-to-day comings and goings of its host, simply waiting for its next chance to be with Rose. Thankfully, that meant Scorpius could concentrate on the few books in the world (all of which his family owned) dedicated to the study of the strange humanoid creatures. Unfortunately, he'd read all of these same books before, and found nothing newly illuminating within their pages. Perhaps he'd do better to look back over the journals of his long-dead ancestors who were at the heart of his curse instead? Maybe the diary of Lycinus could offer some insight?

An hour later, Rose's return message was delivered to him by the house-elf.

**_Sorry, but I'm busy dealing with an acute case of Cyclic vomiting syndrome tonight._**

**_~ R_**

He grinned at her cheekiness. His mate was one in a million, seriously. He penned a quickly reply while the house-elf waited.

**_My Darling, Sweet, Very Witty Mate,_**

**_Drink water and take a sedative potion to relax the gag reflex. I'll pick you up at seven. _**

**_Forever devoted,_**

**_S_**

**_p.s. I noted that you accidentally neglected to include an address for me in your last response, but don't despair! I think you'll be pleased to know that I had the forethought to have my family's owl traced the first time. Consequently, you won't need to worry about me getting lost or being late for our first official date. _**

He waited for the return note, anticipating it be full of venom, but was disappointed when after two hours, nothing more arrived. He knew that meant she had probably scampered from her flat and gone to a friend's or family member's to hide out and avoid him. It was a good thing he knew where every single one of the Weasleys and Potters lived.

He Floo-called his favorite restaurant in Paris to make tonight's reservation, and then spent the rest of the early afternoon reading. He took high tea with his grandmother and Ms. Granger at three in the Grand Parlor, across the hall.

"Rose sent me a note earlier saying she was going to hide out at her cousin, Lucy's flat to avoid your date later tonight," his new step-mum blurted with a conspiratorial grin right as she lifted the heirloom Victorian Era china cup to her lips to sample the Moroccan Mint his grandmother had chosen to accompany the afternoon's delights. Clearly, the woman was on board with his mating of her daughter.

"Which I can take to mean that she's really cowering over at the Potter's?" he dryly concluded with a roll of his eyes.

"Scorpius," his grandmother reprimanded him for his impolite bluntness, but Hermione merely laughed it off.

"Precisely," she replied, and actually sniggered as she quickly swallowed a sip of tea. "My baby thinks she's so clever, but as sly as a Slytherin she will never be. She has my penchant for books and riddles, but too much of her father's candor to pull off a truly solid sneaky plan."

Scorpius stared at the woman a moment, considering her words. "You were a Gryffindor, right?"

"That I was," she stated with a small measure of pride in her tone.

He recalled the conversation he'd had with his father about his mating this witch and threw her a smarmy grin. "Dad says you've always walked a thin line between being a lion and a snake. In fact, he seriously questioned whether you should have been resorted back in school."

"Did he really?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

He nodded with sham solemnity, playfully winking at his grandmother to appease her embarrassment over such indecorous conversation. "Oh, absolutely! He even went so far as to have a crown commissioned this week to redub you his 'Slytherin Queen'."

The tinkling laughter in the room from such an outrageous falsity made everyone break out into smiles. "You're as cheeky as your father," Ms. Granger complimented with good cheer.

"It's his grandmother's fault," Draco called from the door as he entered the parlor and joined them, pressing a kiss to his mate's cheek as he took a seat next to her. "Everyone knows it's the Blacks who are a bit off in this family, never the Malfoys."

Scorpius reached for a tea sandwich and downed it in one bite and swallow. "Ah, that explains it then."

His grandmother lightly slapped the back of his hand once in reprimand. "I didn't raise you to eat like a barbarian, Scorpius. Chew your food. And watch how much you consume! It won't do for you to show up bloated for your first actual date with your mate."

"See what I mean?" his father joked, and suffered a narrow-eyed stare across the table from his own mum as she brought her tea cup to her lips. He held his hands up. "Kidding, mother! You're perfectly rational and splendidly mannered!"

Narcissa nodded once, pleased with her ability to browbeat the Malfoy men into shape. "So, Scorpius, darling, where do you plan to take your lovely mate this evening? Oh, I do hope it's the restaurant in Paris with the skylight that your grandfather took us all to back when you graduated!"

They sat around discussing first date opportunities until five, when Scorpius excused himself with a gracious 'thank you' all around for the advice, and headed up to his room to begin preparing for the night's excursion.

In the shower in his private bath, he thought back over what his step-mum had said about how to win over Rose's affections, and decided to try out at least one of her options: presenting his mate with hand-picked flowers. He hoped that the romanticism of such a gift would be enough to merit an actual kiss from her before the night was through. To be able to finally press his lips to hers in real life...

That thought led to others, and within seconds, he sported a thick, painful arousal. Palming his hard length in hand, he closed his eyes and stroked up and down to the fantasy of licking every inch of his mate's naked body. He orgasmed hard to the imagined vision of being on his knees before her and tongue-fucking her soft, moist pussy until she came. The daydream was so real that he swore he could phantom taste her salty-sweetness in his mouth even as his seed jettisoned all over the tiles and down his tightly-gripped fingers. Knees shaking from the power of his climax, he leaned against the wall after and let the sluice of warm water pour over him for another few minutes before finally getting out and drying off.

Right as he slipped the towel from his hips in preparation for dressing, the Veela within 'woke-up,' and it was practically purring as it relived his thoughts from the shower.

_Sweet, pretty mate_, it hissed with longing.

Instantly hard again, Scorpius was forced to take care of business a second time, and to wash up once more before he could dress. Swallowing a bitter-flavored Restorative potion (which he kept on hand for those nights when he'd have a 'guest' over that he wanted to entertain until dawn) helped to erase his post-masturbation lethargy and re-energize him. With a clear head, he then had a very stern discussion with the other half about tonight's date. To his surprise, the beast inside didn't debate with him. It didn't put up any kind of fight, apparently still sluggish from its all day snooze. Besides, with the agreement in place, it held little concern for Scorpius' wishes; it knew what it wanted and what it was now allowed, per the deal it had with Rose. He sensed it would simply take what it wanted within those guidelines as it wished, whether its host liked that idea or not.

_Just don't do anything to fuck up tonight for us,_ he cautioned his Veela. _If you use your magic to force her into something physical with us, it's showing her disrespect and will only end up backfiring on us. Try not to enthrall her and let her experience us naturally this first time. It'll go a long way to earning her trust._

His Veela was silent for a moment, considering that. _I'll think about it,_ it agreed.

Given the circumstances, Scorpius knew that was the best he could hope for from his internal monster.

**X~~~~~X**

**_Saturday, July 5th, 2031 (night)_**

Scorpius Apparated to the Potter residence, having gone there twice to visit Albus during the summer when they'd been younger and closer acquaintances. The house looked exactly the same now as it had years ago: a two-story Tutor, slat shingles, ivory stucco walls with dark brown trim. The fenced-in front yard was the same, too, with its neatly manicured lawn, boxwood shrubberies, and random patches of annuals planted here and there for color.

It was twenty of seven, according to his Muggle watch. If Rose was here, he'd just pass off his early arrival as eagerness and win points. If she wasn't, well, that's why he'd given himself the head start. If she decided to lead him on a merry goose chase, he could use the spare minutes to track her pretty arse down. To save him the time and effort of actually knocking and inquiring within as to whether she was present or not, he performed a quick _Point Me_ spell, and indeed, the wand indicated that Rose was inside the Potter residence.

Brownie points were his!

He hid the roses he'd picked from his grandmother's greenhouse behind his back and headed for the door and knocked. The wait as he heard people inside shifting about seemed longer than it actually was, and then Albus Potter was blocking the entrance. "Hey, Scor!" his former Housemate in Slytherin greeted him as he took in Scorpius' night-on-the-town robes from head to toe, a mischievous smile gracing his mug. "She's in here, sulking, refusing to get changed. Wanna come in while I badger her into a pretty dress?"

From behind Potter, Rose's shout could have brought down the house. "Albus Severus Potter, you are a gormless, A-Class traitor, and officially on my shite-list!"

Cringing at the shrill tone and the threat, Al snickered. "You'd better have brought flowers," he wisely cracked. Those emerald orbs gave him the roaming eyes again, and the guy whistled. "Pukka gent, at least."

Not prone to blushing, in general, Scorpius could feel his cheeks heat-up under Albus Potter's scrutiny nonetheless.

Despite having grown through their teens together, and been assigned the same House, he and Al had never been as tight as Scorpius had been with Marcus Zabini. They'd hung-out on occasion back in school, sure, but Potter was Rose's cousin, and because of the intense rivalry between he and Ravenclaw's Princess, he and Albus had never been able to develop as close a friendship. And then the whole broom closet incident back in fourth year happened between him and Al, and well, he'd never really been comfortable around the guy after.

Scorpius had no issues with alternative lifestyles, but having a wizard cry on your shoulder because you kissed him (as in some serious suck-face and tonguing) and decided that it just wasn't your thing was seriously awkward stuff – especially after your snog partner just confessed to _really_ liking you in _that_ way. Letting someone down was hard enough (especially since it was Scorpius' first time crushing someone's crush on him and due to that lack of experience, he'd handled Al's feelings for him rather badly), but when it was someone you'd wanted to be good friends with… well, no chance of that happening after all of the cards had been laid out on the table.

He and Albus had never spoken of that one-time event, but Scorpius had always known that the green-eyed candy boy had carried a small torch for him ever after. So, yeah, the way the guy was sizing him up now made him a little uncomfortable and definitely self-conscious, as he was quite sure Al was thinking about him in a sexual manner by the way his eyes reflected some serious heat.

Almost predictably, the Veela in his head didn't like the attention it was getting from the male either, as it began growling in Scorpius' head in warning. Apparently, his other half was as heterosexual as they came.

Clearing his throat, he got right to the point. "May I see my date now?"

"Don't you mean 'mate'?" Al asked, smirking.

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "It's supposed to be a secret, Rose," he admonished her by raising his voice and projecting it over Al's shoulder. "You're telling the whole world my family's private business, you know."

She appeared at the door, her features set in a mask of righteous fury. "Considering you're forcing me into a life-long commitment, and my whole family is going to have to accept that I'm marrying the man I've professed undying hatred for on more than one occasion, I think a little explanation is in order," she fired back. "It's either that or they're going to start suspecting me of drug use."

With each angry inhale she took, Scorpius was mesmerized by the cotton of her tight t-shirt being stretched ever so slightly over her nicely rounded breasts, accentuating them. The Veela was similarly enchanted; so much so that it was uncharacteristically silent, focused on every breath its mate took. "Drug use… that would be… bad, yeah?" he murmured, watching as her nipples grew taut under his intense gaze.

"Oh, for the love of-" she huffed, and snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. "I'm up here, puppy dog," she indicated her face with an emphatically pointing finger. He met her irate baby blues and grinned. She sniffed with disdain and turned away. "Could you be any more despicable?"

_Well, sure_, the Veela snarked.

_Shut it_, he warned his annoying half.

At the Veela's prodding, Scorpius followed her into the living room, and Albus smoothly moved out of the way, letting the battle between the sexes commence with an unapologetic grin. Absently, he heard the front door shut as he nipped Rose's heels through the room and into the adjoining kitchen, where she had obviously made a fresh pot of tea. "You're looking delicious, baby, and you expect me not to notice?" In a smooth move, he presented her with the roses, which he'd carefully de-prickled, wrapped in some of his grandmother's floral crepe and tied off with a silken blue bow.

Between one breath and the next, Rose simply stopped. It took her several seconds to decide to put the empty tea mug down on the counter, though, and to reach out to take the flowers from his hand. "T-thank you. They're lovely." She fingered the ribbon.

Taking the initiative, Scorpius stepped closer. "May I _please_ take you to dinner tonight?"

"Say yes!" Albus' voice shouted from the other room.

_What he said_, the Veela echoed Potter's sentiment.

Rose stared up at him with trepidation. She was biting her bottom lip, and all Scorpius could think of in that moment was how much he wanted to suck that sweet-looking, slightly chapped skin into his mouth and kiss it hard. "Yeah, say yes," he whispered, for once agreeing with his accursed side.

She dropped her gaze to the flowers. "I should put these in water."

Scorpius swallowed his disappointment, but refused to give up. She'd promised that they could go out once a week in real life, and although it had been the Veela who had negotiated for it, he definitely wanted this chance, too. "We'll go wherever you want," he conceded, again taking Hermione Granger's advice to heart. "You pick the venue. Anywhere in the world you want that we can Apparate or Floo to." She ignored him and opened a cabinet, reaching up on tip-toe for a vase on a top-most shelf. Being several inches taller than her, it was an easy reach for Scorpius, who stretched and procured her desired object and passed it off to her. "Muggle or wizard, doesn't matter. You name it."

Filling the vase with water from the tap, she slipped the ribbon and crepe paper off the bundle of roses and arranged them to her satisfaction in the glass container. "Doesn't matter?" she asked. "Hmmm… What if I said I was in the mood for escargot?"

Scorpius grinned. At least she was considering the idea and not hexing him out the front door. "Then I'd say you're in luck, as I know the perfect restaurant in Paris that serves the finest in French cuisine. And we already have reservations there for eight o'clock, in fact, if you're interested."

Glancing up at him, she raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Lasagna?"

He leaned his hip against the kitchen counter and crossed his arms over his chest. "Zabini's family's restaurant in Rome. They're open late on the weekends."

"Hamburgers."

He chuckled. "There's this great little diner in Texas I've been to once. If we left now, we'd be in time to catch their lunch crowd, thanks to the time difference…"

"Ah!" she cut him off, "I didn't finish!" She held a finger up between them and waggled it at him. "Authentic _Kobe_ hamburgers."

He rolled his eyes. "Tokyo is a little hot and humid this time of year, but I'm game... although it's the middle of the night over there right now."

_Clever, boy-o,_ his Veela reluctantly congratulated him for the first time.

Rose looked at him with the same grudging respect. "You're too smart for you own good," she finally denounced.

Scorpius shrugged. "I'm Slytherin. We're designed to have an answer for everything." He risked getting a little friendlier by gently tugging on her tee's sleeve. "Come on. It'll be fun. Promise."

With a sigh, she headed towards the living room. "Fine, but we're going casual. Nothing fancy. I'm in a jeans kind of mood." Before she stepped through the arch and into the other room, she stopped and looked back at him. "Is it just me and you? Not _him?_"

_Not a chance_, his Veela growled.

Solemnly, Scorpius shook his head. "Package deal."

Rose dropped her eyes to the floor. "Oh." A tiny mar appeared above her brow, and he knew she was internally debating something that was uncomfortable and coming to a conclusion she didn't like. "Fine, then," she resolved, her eyes locked onto the wall, a glint of steel in their turbulent depths. "He'll get what he wants."

Scorpius didn't like the vindictiveness contained in her tone. "Rose, I-" He stalled, knowing she'd probably scratch his eyes out if he said he was sorry to her. They both knew the score; neither had any choice in this mating, really. In that moment, he felt every bit as helpless as she, as they were both captives to the Veela's whim. "Let's paint the town red tonight." He stepped towards her, and her eyes instantly locked upon his every move. It seemed she wore mistrust like a second skin around him, but he refused to let that deter his intent to win her affections. He very lightly brushed a stray curl from her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. "Let's take it as it comes, and don't be afraid – neither of us."

Her cheeks pinked. "You're not afraid of this."

His lips trembled with the truth, and he dropped his hand to very tentatively enclose his fingers around hers. "Yeah, actually, I am."

Her eyes widened with surprise mingled with doubt, and she searched and assessed his face for long seconds for truth. Whatever it was that she saw within and upon the curves and angles of his countenance was obviously good because in less than a minute, she was noticeably more relaxed. Pulling away, she turned and headed through the living room and down the attached hallway, purportedly for a bedroom. "I'll just transfigure my clothes and get freshened up. Don't change – we'll keep your reservations. Be out in twenty."

With that, she was gone. Scorpius leaned with a heavy heart against the wall and let out a relieved sigh.

"She likes you," Albus confidently assured him from the sofa. "Just too stubborn to say so. Same as you, I think."

Scorpius met Al's piercing, jade gaze and smirked. "Yeah, I guess."

The guy's grin was positively wicked as he stretched out across the length of the couch, putting his feet (_sans_ shoes) on the cushions and turning the page on the book he was reading. "Well, bring me left-overs," he bid, sticking his nose back into his story. "I've never tried escargot. Sounds positively disgusting. But since you're paying for it, it'll be like the mini-date we never had."

Shaking his head, Scorpius nervously fidgeted, finding it hard to look at the guy again. "You're never letting that go, are you?"

Al looked up at him with a significant glance. "Can't. Sorry."

Bloody hell.

**X~~X**

Scorpius couldn't take his eyes off of her. Rose was absolutely stunning, wearing an outfit that was both provocative as well as stylish for Parisian nightlife. Man, could the girl transfigure!

Her tight, champagne-gold samite fabric dress ended at mid-thigh, showing off her beautiful, long legs (making him wonder how they would feel wrapped around his waist). The dark bronze belt in the middle accentuated her narrow waistline, and the dipped, gathered neckline tastefully revealed her neck without teasingly showing off any cleavage. The sleeves ended at her shoulders, and her toned arms were bared as well (tempting him to run his hands down the naked skin). She paired the dress off with some matching bangles for her wrists, draping earrings, and dark bronze strap heels that topped-off her head a few inches shorter than his – the perfect height for kissing. Her make-up was just as tasteful in its wildness: dark bronze and light gold and charcoal paint and liner and lashes dramatically highlighted her true blue eyes, and her lipstick was an amazing shade of red wine.

The overall picture was delicious, and served quite well to distract his Veela from interfering in the evening's discussion, as his rather juvenile, sex-crazed bestial side was too busy ogling its mate and imagining all sorts of naughty things to do to her to participate in the conversation. Unfortunately, the dual side-effect was that Scorpius kept getting hit with pornographic flashes, causing the blood to flow away from his brain into his nether regions and making it hard to concentrate. His cock was so hard in his trousers at one point that he had to rearrange his napkin on his lap and scoot closer to the table to hide his embarrassment from his date (who had inconveniently chosen to sit to his left side, rather than across the table from him).

Somewhere between the end of the main entrée and the beginning of the dessert course, she finally decided to call attention to his behavior. "You keep squirming," Rose commented with an innocent expression as she brought her wine to her perfectly painted lips for a sip. "Is everything alright?"

Scorpius hadn't been sorted into Slytherin for nothing. He'd recognized the faux concern by the twinkle in her eye. She knew _exactly_ what was going on with him and why. His girl was, apparently, more wily than he'd given her credit. For some reason, that made him even harder for her. Deciding to play along, he leaned closer to her, as if to whisper in her ear, and lay a warm hand on the top of her bared thigh under the tablecloth. "I was just wondering how soft your skin was," he murmured, breathing a hot puff of air against her neck's pulse. "And whether your lips taste as good as they look."

Her glass very slowly was placed back down. "It's terribly impolite to leer at your date, you know," she whispered, turning her cheek ever so slightly into his. Her lips maneuvered towards his ear. "She might decide you only want her for a good…" she dramatically paused and barely whispered the last word, "fuck."

Scorpius and his Veela both were nearly panting with need. The throbbing in his shorts was now a painful ache. All that wanking not more than a few hours ago and it still wasn't enough to keep his dick from wanting a go at her.

_Take her out of here and back to our bed now!_ his Veela whinged. _Hell, just take her into the coat closet for all I care. Just let me have her!_

_Calm down,_ he tightened his rein on his other half, mentally fighting to restrain the impulses beating at him behind his eyes. _She's up to a bit of jiggery-pokery - setting us up to push us into breaking the agreement. We're supposed to be courting her, not mating her yet. If we try to do that, we'd only be proving her point that we're untrustworthy and she could nullify the agreement. She'd never love or trust us then._

_Minx!_ his Veela hissed. _She's teasing me!_

_Teasing us, you mean, _Scorpius reminded his monster._ Let's turn this around on her, shall we?_

His Veela was quiet for a moment, considering that. For all its immaturity, it had a sharp intelligence and a cunning nature. _Make her desire us just as much? Good plan, boy-o. Give me the body for a second._

Scorpius was flat-out shocked. _You're actually asking?_

His Veela grumbled, and out of spite, pushed Scorpius' consciousness aside, slipping into place as the dominant in the body. As soon as that shift happened, he reached up and put slight pressure on Rose's cheek where it lay against his, subtly releasing his chemical scent markers upon her skin. Rubbing it in by pretending to show affection, he let his unique pheromones work their magic upon her – and upon every woman in the place, as they drifted on the air.

That done, the Veela pulled back and let Scorpius have control once more. _You're an evil git,_ he congratulated his other half as he pulled away and noted Rose's eyes widen with lust, her cheeks rouge with blood, and her lips part with desire. _But effective._

The Veela did not reply. It merely smirked with satisfaction as it watched its mate's need rise to the surface.

The _maitre d'_ appeared just then with their pudding and espressos. He placed the gelato dessert and two spoons between them, as they had indicated upon ordering that they'd wanted to share. Without a word, the waiter retreated again, leaving the two of them alone in their silent contest of wills.

"You keep squirming," Scorpius artfully pointed out to his witch, sitting back in his chair, removing his hand from her person and reaching for a spoon. Dipping it into the cool berry dessert, being sure to catch some of the melted fudge that dripped off the top, he paused with it at his lips. "Everything alright, baby?"

Rose blinked several times, clearly caught in the haze of yearning and finding it difficult to concentrate. "What?"

Licking his spoon clean in a challenging manner, he tweaked an eyebrow at her. "It's terribly impolite to leer at your date, you know."

It took several more seconds for that to sink in, and then Rose caught on. Her nostrils flared as she sniffed the air and she rubbed a finger across her cheek. "You did something."

Scorpius dug into another bite of the ice-cream. "Did I?"

She glanced around, noted the other women in the place all staring with blatant craving at Scorpius and grabbed his hand as one actually got up from her table next to them and came to stand at his side, a business card in her hand. Scorpius ignored the woman, and held out a spoonful of dessert for his mate to taste. "Try it," he prompted with a devilishly sly grin. "It's strawberry and chocolate – your new favorite combination."

Rose scowled at him, refusing the offer. "I know what you did, you fink."

"Your outfit is quite beautiful," he countered, sinuously weaving the spoon before her painted lips. "Enough to dazzled a man with your beauty, and make him desperate for your body. You exude lust, baby."

Through narrowed eyes she glared at him, and then she chuckled. "_Touché_." Her lips wrapped around the spoon, and she "mmmm'd" low in her throat to purposefully arouse him.

It worked.

They called the dinner a draw soon after and left the restaurant, and its gaggle of enchanted women behind.

**X~~X**

"Admit it, that was fun," he argued as they walked along the eastern, lesser populated sandy beach side of Villefranche sur Mer, side by side. He'd brought her here by Side-Along Apparition after they'd gone a safe distance from the restaurant to use magic out of the public eye. Both had their shoes (and he his socks stuffed in his shoes) in their hands, and the white, still-warm sand bunched between their toes as they slowly meandered down the shoreline.

Pushing strands of wind-blown hair off her face, Rose laughed. "Okay, I admit my duplicity, but you were still a rotten fink to let your Veela use his wiles like that. The poor woman with the business card just _stood_ there, waiting for you to notice her!"

Scorpius sneakily grabbed a hold of her hand and laced his fingers with hers. "Only had eyes for you, baby."

"It's the dress."

He shook his head at her claim. "It's you." He stared up at the moon's three-quarter face, his mood shifting towards a more somber contemplation. "I think, Rose, it's always been you."

She sniffed in denial. "Scor, how many women have you slept with? Seriously?"

Between one step and the next, he stopped, his incredulity hitting the roof. "What kind of question is that?"

Removing her hand from his, she continued forward without him, her bitter voice carrying back on the wind. "It hasn't always been me and you know it. There have been _dozens_ of women in your life. No, you don't want this mating anymore than I do. You're only saying that to win me over because you have no choice either. The magic _makes_ you want me."

He dropped his shoes, lunged forward and grabbed her, turning her to face him. "That's not true! I…" He took her shoes from her hand and tossed them away, too, stepping into her private space in the same action. "Rose, I've wanted you since our school days. You were my first lo-" He stopped that line of through and cleared his throat. "But you'd made it abundantly clear over the years that you'd never want me that way, so I gave up the idea." Very cautiously, he reached up and touched her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "This mating has given me a second chance though. Sure, it's accelerated and forced us together, but… it's not like I never wanted this anyway. This is just the kick in the bum I needed to move on that desire." He leaned his face closer, angling for her lips. "Believe it or not, Rose, I never forgot you, despite the years." Behind his eyes, his Veela pushed forward. "_We_ never forgot you, mate."

Almost like clockwork, Rose's body began trembling with fear. "Scorpius, your Veela is loose!"

To his immense surprise, Scorpius could feel his other half's great disappointment at her reaction to him. He pushed forward the rest of the way, taking the body without his host's permission, relegating Scorpius to an aside. "Mate, you don't have to fear me," his Veela spoke, its voice that low, smooth tone meant to soothe her.

She closed her eyes. "I… have trouble believing you. My instincts scream at me _not _to trust you." She nervously wet her lips, preparing for the kiss that she felt was to be forced upon her. "I know I made a bargain with you, but… the truth is you scare me."

Scorpius' Veela very slowly moved those last inches to close the gap between them, pressing their foreheads together. "I want you above anything in this world, Rose. I have since the first moment I saw you. I've never even considered another for my mate. It's always, _only_ been you." He kissed her very chastely on the corner of her lips, not quite a real kiss. "I can't help my nature. I can't help these feelings I have for you. And I can't undo the past or the mistakes that any of us made. But I can love you now, my pretty mate, if you'll let me." He rubbed his nose against hers. "God, I ache for you, woman."

Her quickened breaths against his face signified her heightened fear. "But I don't ache for _you_," she stubbornly denied.

The flash of hopelessness that accompanied her words was intense as his Veela despaired. Scorpius pushed forward during this moment of weakness, sensing the beast's mounting frustration and knowing it could only end in a negative way if he didn't temper the creature within with a little dose of patience and faith. "Rose, just kiss me."

Her lashes fluttered to half-mast. "Scor?"

He nodded. "I'm here. Do you want to kiss me?"

Her attention dipped to his lips. "You, yes. Him, no."

"Package deal," he reminded her, as the Veela inside began mentally ripping its hair out in disappointment. "Try it, just once."

_Please_, his Veela begged inside. _Please let me taste you! I need you!_

"You'll be in control?" she asked him. "You, not the Veela?"

Scorpius nodded. "We're together, but I won't let him hurt you."

She licked her lips again. "Okay," she finally capitulated and let her lids float back down to await his kiss.

_Slow_, he cautioned the Veela. _Gentle._

_I know._

Their lips met, melted, and his heart beat into his throat, pulsing along the heated shared air between them. She was so warm, so soft and inviting as her hands roamed up his torso to wrap around his neck and she pressed her curves into his. They both moaned at the sensation of that first kiss as they pulled apart and were persuasively drawn back together by an animal need for skin on skin, to delve deeper, to sip and lick and savor. In mere moments, the greed became a consuming, fiery coercion starting in his belly and moving outwards to burn and pound through every vein and artery in his body. He needed more… and more… and _fuck all_, more! Boldly, he slipped his tongue over her bottom lip, parted her mouth and tentatively stroked against her tongue. She tasted of the strawberry gelato and the wine from earlier, and something else that was uniquely Rose's flavor alone. It intoxicated Scorpius and his Veela both, enslaving them to her for all time.

Passion blazed out of control between them, causing his witch to tighten her grip about him. "Oh, gods!" she whispered around kisses as they ravenously ate at each other's mouths, her consternation clear in her tone. He held her tighter, his erection resting against her abdomen in full prominence under his trousers and pants, and it was difficult for him to contain the Veela's urge to pump his hips and rub against her.

Somehow, they ended up on their knees in the sand, and then she was on her back and he was looming over her, lying atop her. Their lips never parted long enough to speak as they kissed away the years of misunderstandings. Clearly, they wanted each other. Rose could no longer deny the connection.

When the sea water coldly splashed against his toes, Scorpius was jolted out of their romantic embrace. "We should go," he murmured and shivered, bucking against her thigh when her fingers ran through his hair. "Rose, the tide's coming in."

He pulled away just long enough for her senses to return, and the desire to cool. She searched his features again. "Was that both of you?"

Wordlessly, Scorpius nodded. Inside, his Veela hovered on the edge, waiting for her to next words to either condemn or free him. The desperation of his bestial side was palpable.

She seemed to carefully consider that. "It wasn't as scary as I'd thought it would be."

Triumphantly, his Veela shoved its way to the surface, taking control again, eager like a little boy to speak to her. "I didn't use my powers on you, Rose. Not once," it bragged with some pleasure. "Scorpius said it would show you respect." He looked at her lips with half-lidded, silent wishes to return to them. "Did you enjoy it, though, without my Veela magic?"

Hesitantly, his mate reached up and brushed the long hair that the Veela sported out of Scorpius' face, letting her fingertips slide down over his shadowed cheek. "Thank you for that," she murmured. "Yes, it was good."

Turning into her hand, he placed a kiss upon her palm, and stared at her with a mischievous gaze. "Then, can we do it again? Like, now?"

Rose huffed in a laugh and lightly tapped him on the side of the face. "You're a regular Casanova." She shook her head, smiling. "No, now get off of me before we end up underwater."

The Veela sighed and grumbled under its breath. "You're no fun, mate." With that, he retreated and let Scorpius have the body back.

The two laughed as he helped his witch up from the sand, and waved his wand over both of them to _Scourgify_ the itchy granules from their clothing and hair and skin. With that done, they collected their footwear, he held onto her and this time, she took them by Side-Along Apparition home to England.

**X~~X**

At the doorstep to her flat, they appeared with a loud crack, and she dropped the wards in preparation for going in for the night. "Well," she began, and Scorpius could feel the wall coming up between them again as the earlier passion became just a memory, "That was a lovely evening. Thank you for it." She held out her hand to shake. "I suppose I'll see you next in my dreams, per our required arrangement."

Scorpius frowned. This was not at all how he wanted their first date to end – as if they were strangers who hadn't just shared the most delicious kiss in the history of mankind. Ignoring her outstretched hand, he swiftly moved in, pinning her between his body and the door, and slanted his mouth over hers. Capturing her lips once more, he kissed her with all of his pent up feelings, winning her capitulation by the fourth pass of his tongue over hers.

With a moan, Rose dropped her wand, her shoes and her mini bag in the hallway and flung her arms around his neck, giving into him once more. They kissed until his lips felt bruised, and although his Veela pushed for more – a stroke over her breast, cupping her arse – Scorpius kept it 'clean,' knowing it was important to build up his mate's trust in him.

When he felt he'd made his point, he slowed the kiss down, and finally pulled out of it altogether. "Yes, Rose," he pressed his forehead again to hers, staring her down. "You'll see us in your dreams." Giving her a lopsided smile, he playfully winked at her, stepping back and raising his wand. "Best first date I've _ever _had, hands down, baby. Thank you for taking the chance. See you tomorrow night."

With that, he Apparated home and slept better than he had in days.

**X~~~~~X**

**_Sunday, July 6th, 2031 (morning-early afternoon)_**

"Corwin's quarter-century birthday is coming up," his grandmother reminded them all at brunch that day. "Technically, it's next Thursday, but the McLaggens are holding a big celebration for him on Saturday, and we've all been invited. I've already responded with our assured attendance." She leaned forward across the table to conspiratorially address Hermione, who had once more come to the Manor for a meal, now considered part of the family. "His grandmother, Athena, hinted at a big announcement in the wings. I suspect they've finally picked a wife for the boy."

Scorpius' Veela growled at his cousin's name, and the sound actually passed his lips, causing four sets of eyes to look at him sideways. Feeling the heat creep into his cheeks, he tried to cover it by sipping some juice.

"Scor, darling," his grandmother gently addressed him. "You haven't touched your poached quail eggs. Is anything the matter?"

He set his glass down and politely wiped his mouth with his napkin. "No, I'm good, grand-mere," he smiled, feeling an odd bout of shyness overtake him under her scrutiny.

"Is there something on your mind then?" She pressed the bounds of good propriety in inquiring about his personal issues over the breakfast table.

Well, he might as well address the elephant in the room, as it was clear by the way everyone was sitting up straighter and leaning a bit forward in their chairs that they were waiting for him to talk about his adventures from the night before. "My date went very well last night. I took your advice, all of you. Thanks for that."

His grandfather actually folded up and put down the Sunday morning paper and delicately inhaled. Across the way, he spied his father's nostrils flare as he, too, scented the air. Both gave him the same expectant look. He shook his head to let them know that things hadn't progressed quite _that_ far yet.

Hermione leaned forward, eagerness in her eyes. "You got that pigheaded daughter of mine to admit she liked you," she accused with a smile.

Scorpius couldn't help but feel a bit smug that he'd managed to accomplish a bit more than that actually, but he said nothing. The truth must have been obvious on his features, though.

"Oh!" Ms. Granger cried out in happiness. "You actually kissed her!"

He scratched the side of his head, feeling a tad embarrassed to be discussing such intimate things so openly and with _these_ people. His family had always been rather private about their matings. Even the discussion between him and his father about his own second mating had been a 'typical guy' conversation:

"_Did you?" _

"_Yes." _

"_Was it amazing?" _

"_Absolutely."_

"_Go, dad!"_

There had been more, obviously, but no special details about the actual fuck-fest. Draco had simply smiled – _a lot_ – and covered as he was in love bites, and looking as knackered as he had, Scorpius had filled in the blanks without having to be told. They'd spent more time talking about the legal arrangements of his father's new mating, and how the mating wouldn't interfere with Scorpius' eventual marriage to Rose, and how Scorpius felt about having a step-mum than they had about the actual physical goings-on of the event itself. Now, he was openly talking about his own success over a meal – something usually not done.

"We kissed for a while," he admitted, trying not to blush like a virgin. "She was receptive to both me and the Veela."

His father chuckled. "At the beach?"

That had been Draco's contribution to yesterday's advice. Scorpius nodded. "And at the door, when we said goodnight."

Narcissa let out a sigh of happiness. "How romantic! There's to be two matings in one year in this house!" She turned and reached out for her husband's hand, looking at him with ridiculous doe eyes. The man looked at his wife with a knowing smirk on his face. It was clear what was going to happen between those two at some point today.

Scorpius looked across the table at his father… only to find the man giving his mate the same look.

Wiping his mouth, he placed it alongside his plate as was proper and politely excused himself, feeling acutely uncomfortable as the only unmated one at the table. Making his way up to his room, he sent out a Floo call for Marcus, needing to talk to a friendly ear. They agreed to meet at _The Leaky Cauldron_ for drinks in an hour.

As he changed clothes for the jaunt down the Alley, Scorpius contemplated that for the first time in his adult life, he'd been a 'fifth wheel' - and he hadn't liked the feeling one bit. It made him awkward, out of sorts, his good humor instantly cast aside in favor of brooding over the problem of being mate-less. That, of course, led down the slippery slope of "what if?" scenarios…

What if she never came to care for him?

What if she refused to let him give her the first mark in two weeks, despite the agreement?

What if she continued to see Corwin?

That last had him in an extremely sour frame of mind when he'd finally Floo'd and met up with Zabini.

**X~~~~~X**

**_Sunday, July 6th, 2031 (afternoon)_**

Four shots later, and Scorpius was spilling everything to his best friend, including details of last night's rendezvous, and his fears. Zabini could offer only commiseration, though. "Sorry, mate. You're in a fucked pickle. But hey, try not to let your worries get you down. No way to know where this thing will go. Maybe after kissing you, she'll like it enough to do it again, yeah?"

Eleri came through the pub on her way into the Alley half an hour, two more shots and a beer later. She spied the two friends and came to join them. Zabini split soon after, having made late lunch arrangements with his family back at the family villa in Milan and leaving with a promise from El to make sure Scor got home without splinching or Flooing to the wrong place.

Eleri was strangely quiet when it was just she and he after that, and Scorpius was taking that strained silence to internally debate the best way how to tell her that their previous arrangement was now null and void without hurting her feelings – or getting her so angry that she retaliated by telling Rose about their illicit affair.

"Alright, so per my side of our bargain, I'm reporting in," Eleri informed him, squirming in her seat. "I met with Rose on Thursday. I listened to her rather impassioned and determined speech declaring that she intended to find a legal loophole around your Veela mating of her, and to keep seeing Corwin. She's resolved that your cousin's it for her. I tried to convince her to kiss you in real life before she made such a mistake as throwing you away, but she was adamant that no matter what, she was going through with her plans." Her tired, violet eyes met his. "I don't think you're going to ever get her to take this mating seriously, Scor. She's made it clear she'll bide her time until she finds a way out and then she's going to drop you for your cousin. I'm sorry."

Stunned, Scorpius' looked down at his chest. No, his heart was still in there, beating away. He could feel it pounding under the ribs, drumming out a painful beat. Sure as shite felt like he'd just had it ripped out and thrown to the floor, though.

Had last night been Rose simply playing along, biding her time, as Eleri put it? True, she hadn't even wanted to come out on the date with him, and it had taken a lot to convince her… He quickly went back through the events one by one, flipping through random conversations, trying to look for clues to either confirm or disprove Eleri's words.

"…_you're forcing me into a life-long commitment… my family is all going to have to accept that I'm marrying the man I've professed undying hatred for on more than one occasion…"_

"…_you don't want this mating anymore than I do."_

"…_our required arrangement."_

Merlin's hairy balls, how could he not have seen it? He'd been so enamored of her response to the sexual stuff that he hadn't even realized that none of it had touched her heart. Hell, her reaction to him on the beach and even at her door might have been no more than residual from the Veela pheromones from the scent marking. Once the fog of lust had cleared, however, she'd been business as usual, hadn't she?

Rose didn't want him, and she'd made it clear over and over again that she wasn't going to be his. She intended on fighting him legally, if necessary, to force him to stay away from her. She was going to keep fucking his cousin.

_NO!_ his Veela screamed in his head. _No, no, NO! She's mine!_

The animal part of him wanted to immediately go and kick down the door to her flat, to let loose all of the Veela magic and force the marks on her in her own bed - to make her his mate right away. But that would be rape, and Scorpius knew she'd hate him forever for it. Besides, Rose was just vindictive enough to make him pay for the rest of their lives together if he dared to take her against her will.

Fine, she wanted to play this game with him, then Scorpius could, too. He'd spotted the loophole in their negotiation almost immediately in regards to taking lovers, but at the time the terms had been spoken aloud he hadn't thought it important. Now, he knew he could use that ambiguity to his advantage. After all, it had been _the Veela_ that had stated that it wouldn't touch anyone else, but _Scorpius_ hadn't made any such agreement. He hadn't had any say in it at all, in fact.

Bargain or no, he hadn't been sorted into Slytherin for nothing.

"Busy for the rest of the afternoon?" he casually asked his sometimes-lover, sweeping all of his romantic feelings for Rose under the carpet and holding tight to the anger to fuel his resolve. If his mate intended on continuing a relationship with Corwin in secret, then Scorpius saw no reason to remain faithful either.

Uncharacteristically, Eleri blushed and looked aside. "And Rose?"

He did something then he'd never done in their decade-long relationship: he touched her in public in a very intimate manner. Touched and _kissed_ her. Luckily, his Veela was still too furious over being tossed over for Corwin that it was in its own little bubble and not interesting in what Scorpius was up to just then. "We had an agreement, El," he informed her, nibbling down her neck, wearing down her reservations. "You're living up to your end, so I should, too." He bit her at the back of her neck; a spot he knew would claim her submission easily. She relaxed against him in an instant. "Besides, I'm in need of a release right now. So, let's Floo back to your place so I can fuck you six ways from… well, today," he grinned at his own unintentional joke.

Her reluctance was quickly overridden when he bit her again above her pulse and shoved his hand under her skirt and between her legs, caressing her sex over her knickers. Her passion thus inflamed, Eleri easily gave in and gathered her things, hurrying to the Floo, Scorpius right behind her.

**X~~X**

"All set here?" the hostess asked the burly, handsome blond sitting in the corner booth, putting some swing into her hips and a bat to her eyelashes in the hopes of receiving a good tip from him tonight - in more ways than one. As a Quidditch groupie in her off-time, she recognized this one as the Keeper for the Montrose Magpies, and was hoping to add him as a notch in her bedpost to go along with the others on the pro-circuit that she'd already sampled.

"Yes, just the check, if you will," he politely requested, clearly distracted. He watched the attractive couple who'd been sitting in the partitioned booth next to his get up, throw some galleons onto the table and make a hasty retreat for the Floo. It was clear what the pretty brunette and that sexy platinum-haired fellow were going off in such a rush to do.

Did her cutie-pie know those two, she wondered? Had he been spying on the couple? Maybe she was an ex-girlfriend and he wasn't quite over her? His face was certainly dark with a frown as he watched the couple whisk away in a jet of green flame.

To her surprise, her intended quarry abruptly stood up and passed her a handful of galleons. "Sorry, this should be more than enough to cover the bill," he excused himself and headed for the front door as fast as those long, powerful legs of his could carry him. The thundercloud of emotion that trailed behind him left her shivering in its wake. There went one _very_ angry young man.

Yep, the dark-haired bint had to have been an ex of his for the jealousy had been as plain as day on his face.

Oh well, there went her chance for a good tup!

She looked into her palm at the gleaming gold coins. At least she'd gotten the other kind of tip - and it looked to be at least five times the amount owed, meaning she could finally treat herself to a nice take-away dinner tonight. Hell, as a professional Quidditch player, the guy certainly could afford such extravagance anyway.

"Thanks! Come again," she called after him as the door shut behind with a tinkling of bells.

* * *

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

'**Candy boy' (as in, "he's sweet like candy") is a new term my daughter brought home from school lately. Apparently, it's a new slang term for a bi-sexual male who is more a submissive personality type and has a gentle disposition. I'm reassured it's not a derogatory term, but rather one given in affection.**

**_Cyclic vomiting syndrome_**** is a real ailment. I didn't make it up.**

**Gormless = British slang for "a person who is a moron/stupid."**

**Pukka gent = British slang for "first-class gentleman" (as in dresses well, looks sharp).**

**Whinged = British slang for "to whine."**

**Pudding = In England, this is the name for the dessert course.**


	9. Chapter 8: Casualty of Indecision

**AUTHOR'S CHAPTER START NOTES:**

**Another very long chapter for you. Crucial character development, future plot hints, and vital confrontations contained herein.**

**Please review!**

* * *

**_CHAPTER 8: CASUALTY OF INDECISION_**

**_Monday, July 7th, 2031 (morning)_**

The Floo in Rose's flat chimed to let her know she had an incoming call. Tightening the towel around her midsection, her hair still dripping wet from her earlier shower, she hurried to the hearth and answered.

"Hey, Rose," Corwin's handsome face appeared in the flames. "Can I come through? There's something we need to talk about."

A sinking, gnawing feeling erupted in her belly. He hadn't called her 'baby' or 'Rosie.' His face seemed strained with concern. He'd used the dreaded words every partner in a relationship hated to hear: "can we talk?" Yep, Corwin was breaking-up with her. He must have somehow found out about her and Malfoy.

_Mother effing bleep_, she thought, cringing at using "an Uncle Harry-ism."

The fact of the matter was, regardless of what she had done the night before with Scorpius, her heart had been pretty set on being with Cor in the long-haul. It had taken them years to get together, and she'd only just found and enjoyed happiness in his arms. But then the dream of them had been horribly dashed by Malfoy's _wanking_ Veela and his unwelcome obsession with her. Today's conversation would obviously be the death knell of her and Cor's relationship.

Taking a deep breath and trying to contain the painful hitch in her chest, she nodded. "J-just let me get dressed. Make yourself at home," she offered, opening up the connection on her end and quickly stepping out of the room, down the small hall and into her bedroom.

As she threw on some cotton, Muggle casuals and brushed through her hair to get out the tangles, she heard the whoosh of the Floo activating, and knew her boyfriend had stepped through. Just knowing that he was here, and that there would be an unpleasant confrontation between them… Her anxiety levels shot into the stratosphere faster than a Mark Eight Firebolt.

Reaching for the knob to go out and face her heart's doom, she paused, unable to take the next step. Leaning against the closed wooden door that separated her from what was to come, she closed her eyes.

This wasn't fair! Having her entire future – her spouse, her reproductive life, and consequently, her career (because once she was fully mated, she'd be pregnant and have to quit Quidditch altogether) - dictated by some unknown magical creature and a bunch of chauvinistic, medieval decrees that stripped her of all her liberties was ludicrous! This was the twenty-first century and women were no longer property to their fathers or husbands!

But no, apparently only _Muggle_ women could claim such a blanket civil privilege in modern London, as she – a witch under Ministry rule – was subject to a set of archaic laws and as such, had absolutely no rights to freedom, privacy or personal choice. She was now little more than a hole to be fucked so she could breed another generation of Veela men who would then go on to steal some other poor, unsuspecting woman's hopes from her, too.

"I can't do this! This isn't right! I want a say in my life!" she softly cried, the tears burning behind her lids.

"Then don't mate him," Corwin calmly spoke from the other side of the door.

Gasping with surprise, she yanked at the handle and pulled the portal open to face him. "Wh-what?" she whispered, stunned to the tips of her toes.

Corwin looked as heartbroken as she felt. "Don't mate Scorpius Malfoy."

Speechless, her mouth gaping open in dazed astonishment she could only blink up at her boyfriend. Stepping into her private space, pulling her into his embrace, Corwin lowered his head to hers, stopping a breath away from her lips. "I know all about the two of you. I overheard him talking to Eleri Nott at the pub last night. I figured out from their conversation what he is and what that means for you."

Rose's mouth opened and out poured the truth, uncensored. "I was already with you when his father and my mum dropped the news that I was Scorpius' Veela mate. I didn't lead you on, I swear! I had no idea about any of it until that afternoon." She clutched the front of his shirt in a tight grip. "I've been trying to find a loophole in the law, but I've already been told that there's absolutely no way to break his mating claim – that the Ministry would _force_ it to happen, even if they had to stand around the marriage bed to make sure it was consummated. Not even breaking my wand and immigrating to the Muggle world would be allowed." The hopelessness of the situation made her feel very small and helpless, and for the first time since this whole mess began, she finally broke down. "I don't want to be forced! I want it to be my choice!"

"I… know exactly how you feel, baby," he sighed, pressing his lips to her temple and his nose into her hair. "It's wrong – all of it. He doesn't even love you! If he did, he wouldn't be cheating on you with that Nott chick."

The world came to a jarring halt.

"_What?"_

Her voice sounded small, even to her ears.

Corwin pulled back, contrite. "Yesterday afternoon, they talked about you, and she told him that you were looking for a way to break the mating to be with me. That bastard then asked them to go back to her flat so they could shag. Mentioned something about a deal between them and living up to the bargain. They left for the Floo together, and… well… it was sort-of obvious what was gonna happen next, you know?"

The words had been clear, but her mind simply couldn't process them. It seem unfathomable that Eleri would betray her by sleeping with her mate – especially as her friend had been rather encouraging of her trying to make it work with Scorpius…

"_If you want a happy life, you're going to have to put your pasts behind you, and see what Scor has to offer you now." _

_"Who knows? He might surprise you."_

_"Before you try to end things, you should kiss him again - for real this time. Just to be sure."_

Slytherin or not, her friend had continually tried to get Rose to give Malfoy and this mating a chance. That didn't seem like the type of manipulations a witch would go through if she intended on stealing a man right out from under a rival's nose - just the opposite, in fact.

Besides, Rose had always suspected that there was a man on the side that Eleri had been pining over since their school days. Her friend had been sly about keeping his identity a secret, but there was no hiding the glow that accompanied her whenever they'd been together…

Oh, Holy Circe, it couldn't be!

_"You're the luckiest bitch in the world, Rose Eleanor Weasley, but you're just too bloody stubborn to see it."_

The pieces of the bizarre puzzle snapped into place.

Eleri _had_ spent a considerable amount of time back in their school days in Scorpius' presence. In fact, he was one of the privileged few to actually receive a genuine smile from the girl. Further, El had religiously gone to Quidditch games once Scor had been added to the Slytherin House team, despite a well-vocalized abhorrence to the game itself. And her friend had kept abreast of Scorpius' personal life in the society gossip columns since they'd graduated; she and El would have discussions about his current witch of the week whenever Rose brought it up in conversation.

The evidence was incontrovertible when taken all together.

"Merlin Almighty, she's in love with Malfoy!"

"Who?" Corwin was clearly confused by her pronouncement.

Rose sighed. "Eleri Nott – she's been in love with Scorpius since we were in school. They've obviously had a thing going on for some time. Gods, it was _so_ obviously and I didn't… why didn't I see it?"

Her boyfriend was quiet for a moment, considering her words. "So, they're like us, then? They want to be together, but this Veela thing got in the way?"

She bit her bottom lip, mulling over what she knew. "No, I don't think so. They've never been a formal couple. I mean, he's been shagging everything on two legs for years. That doesn't sound like he loves her back."

"Friends with benefits, then."

That was most likely, given both of their personalities. She nodded. "I think so. Poor El."

Corwin huffed. "Poor _her?_ Your friend _betrayed_ you, Rose. She was spying on you and reporting what she found out to your-" He gritted his teeth and clearly refused to finish the sentence, not wanting to give Scorpius Malfoy any title rights to her. "Why would you feel sympathy for that bitch?"

Yes, why, indeed?

Thinking of how sad Eleri was that day she'd stormed out of Ringo's, she realized that they were, in a manner of speaking, in the same boat. El had loved Scor for Merlin knew how long, and Rose… well, she could relate with her own feelings towards Corwin. Both women were being denied that which they most wanted, and neither had a choice in the matter.

She explained these thoughts aloud. "Besides, she never discouraged me from being with Scorpius," she continued. "In fact, she tried to get me to reconsider looking for a way out of the mating. I think she was trying to remain loyal to both of us, even as she indulged a bit in her own desires, knowing this might be the last chance she'd get to be with Scorpius. It would be a very Slytherin thing to do, wouldn't it?"

"That's just... bent. Well, what about him then? That bastard cousin of mine is fucking another girl when he knows you're his mate!" Corwin argued, affronted for her. "How can you possibly forgive _that?_"

Snuffing with cynical amusement, she shrugged. "Because I expect it of him. Hell, I already suspected he'd been shagging someone else days ago. I thought he'd stopped, though…" That thought bothered her not just because he meant Scor had gone back on his agreement with her, but because she was being hypocritical of her censure of him for doing so. After all, what right did she have to be angry with the man-slag when she still considered Corwin her boyfriend and had been happily engaging in a bit of full-contact exhibitionism with him in the Magpies' Quidditch stands just a few days ago - even knowing at that time that Scorpius was her Veela mate? They were both of them guilty of infidelity.

Ach! What a screwed-up relationship.

Corwin let out a deep, weary sigh. "Listen, Rosie, just please give me a few days to see if I can get you out of this mating thing with Malfoy," he begged, holding her tighter to his frame, pressing his nose into her hairline.

She felt a small pang in her chest at Cor's offer, for there was a tiny part of her that had to admit that going on a date with Scorpius Malfoy had been rather nice, especially the kissing part – and she felt like a dirty, rotten cheat for thinking that way.

She had to tell Corwin the whole truth, from start to finish. There was nothing for it.

So, she did. He listened, his spine stiffening as she explained about the dream-walking and the kisses they'd shared in that fantasy realm – even as she'd officially been Corwin's girl then. And she told him about Mr. Malfoy and her mum mating, and the bargain she'd made with Scorpius' Veela in an effort to hold off his mating of her. She ended the long-winded tale by explaining the date in Paris that they'd gone on and the kisses in real life that they'd enjoyed on the beach. "I'm sorry," was all she could offer when she'd caught up the events to today, remorseful for the hurt she knew she'd just caused this good man, who still held her in his arms despite all he'd heard. "I promised him I wouldn't see you anymore and that I'd give him the chance to court me."

The grip on her arms tightened, and Cor pulled back from her, holding her steady. "Don't you dare go near him again!" he bid. His voice was controlled and low, but his face had taken on a darker, more serious aspect than she'd ever seen him wear before. "Cousin or not, you're _my_ girlfriend. I've waited years for you." He let her go, as if realizing that his grasp was bordering on bruising. Stepping back into the hallway, he leaned against the opposite wall and ran a frustrated hand over his hair. "Just… give me a few days, baby. That's all we'll need. Stay away from him for that time, okay?"

The tears were back, and she was unable to push them aside. They dripped down her cheeks, scalding hot against her fiery cheeks. "I can't! I told you that I made a bargain with him. He'll probably come to me in my dreams tonight or tomorrow. If I try to block him out by taking potions to sleep, he'll just show up on my doorstep the next day. He'll hunt me down and find me no matter where I go." Her face burned with shame. "And, honestly, Cor… I don't know if I have the strength to resist him. Gods help me, but I _liked_ being with him."

Corwin squeezed his eyes shut and tilted his face to the ceiling. At his sides, his closed fists hit the wall behind him once. "FUCK!" he shouted with anger. "Fine, meet with him, but don't let him mate you – not in the dreams and not in real life. Just… A few days, baby. Buy us that time, _please_." He glanced at her with his heart in his eyes. "I love you, Rosie. I don't wanna lose you."

Slapping her hands over her eyes to hide was Rose's automatic reaction to his confession as her sobs shook her from head to toe. She loved Corwin – she did! But, to her horror, she realized in that moment that she also felt something of equally growing strength for Scorpius.

_"I've wanted you since our school days. You were my first lo-… But you'd made it abundantly clear over the years that you'd never want me that way, so I gave up the idea." _

She was sure he'd been about to confess he'd been in love with her – a thought that both confused and excited her.

_"I want you above anything in this world, Rose. I have since the first moment I saw you. I've never even considered another for my mate. It's always, only been you… I can't help my nature. I can't help these feelings I have for you. And I can't undo the past or the mistakes that any of us made. But I can love you now, my pretty mate, if you'll let me."_

Clearly, the Veela had no problems telling his real feelings for her, even if his host had stumbled over his own admission.

The bestial side of Scorpius may still scare her to some extent, but after the kiss they'd shared on the beach, and the adorable way he'd seemed so proud of himself for showing restraint in that moment, she couldn't help but smile with fondness. Maybe he could grow on her – if he'd let up on the possessive caveman act.

Oh, Founders help her, how could she want two men for two entirely different reasons?

"I'm so confused," she whispered. "I want both of you." She shook her head in denial. "This isn't me. I don't know who I am anymore!"

She didn't feel the air stir as he quickened to her and once more wrapped her in his embrace. This time, he easily lifted her and dragged her to the bed, laying them down upon it. His hands pried hers from her face and his mouth latched on to her lips. Corwin kissed her as if he meant to drown in her. "I love you," he whispered as he dragged her clothing off with hurried, shaking hands. "I won't let you go."

Caught up in the moment, in the feelings he evoked, and needing to a momentary escape from their reality, she kissed back with passion. Thank Nyx she'd started taking a birth control potion three days ago, because it didn't seem as though Corwin was in the right frame of mind to stop and cast any sort of anti-contraception spells. The last thing she wanted to worry about just then was a pregnancy.

_Doing this will get you into trouble,_ the saner part of her mind suddenly spoke up.

The vindictive, angry side answered: _Did that bastard care about how it would affect you when he fucked Eleri? _

The answer was a resounding 'no' and so there was nothing more to debate. Reaching for Corwin's trousers, she unbuttoned and unzipped them, yanking them and his pants down his legs. Her own hung by one ankle as he parted her thighs, gripping them tight and slammed inside her with a single, snapping thrust of his hips. They both cried out and hung on, guided by their hunger and need, their bodies moving with force across the length of the mattress, shoving the blankets up with them. They finished with her head hanging off the opposite end, his lips firmly latched onto a nipple, leaving a love bruise, his satisfied moans loud in her ears as his semen shot deep into her womb.

She didn't come – again.

Frustrated, knowing what this meant, she started crying. Corwin held her tightly to him, until she quieted long minutes later. Eventually, with a sigh, he scooted off the bed and began redressing, not meeting her eye as he did so. It was awkward and painful for Rose, lying in a tucked fetal position in the center of her bed, watching him and not knowing the right words to say. Should she apologize, and for what exactly? Where did she start?

Bloody hell, she'd mussed this all up!

"Will you come to my party this weekend?" he asked as he tucked his tired cock back in and fixed his clothing.

Taking a shuddering breath, she nodded. "If you want me there, then yes."

He reached the doorway and stopped, leaning against it. "Don't come with _him_, though, all right?" It was obviously whom he was referring to.

"I'll bring Albus," she promised him.

Accepting that with a nod, he seemed to struggle with what he wanted to say next versus just walking away. Resignedly, he turned and looked at her over his shoulder. "I meant it, you know. I love you, Rosie. Even if you can't say it back, I meant it. And I want you to fight for us, but… that has to be your decision. I can't force you to pick between us." He gave her a sad smile. "If you want me, for _any_ reason, you know how to find me, yeah?"

He walked away, quickly took the Floo home – and broke her heart in half in the doing.

Turning her head into the bunched coverlet, Rose wept again.

**X~~~~~X**

**_Monday, July 7th, 2031 (evening)_**

"The lad's right: you're going to have to choose, Roz, and soon."

Rose had come to the Burrow that evening for a free meal and some solid advice from the man she loved and trusted most in the whole world: her father. And he was giving it to her – without pulling any punches.

"I know, daddy," she sighed and threw her weight back into the cushions of the well-worn, orange and red-striped couch, staring up at the recently renovated ceiling in the main living area, absently noting that some of the cream-colored paint had sprinkled onto the side wall's dark wood paneling. "I know. It's just a lot more complicated than you think."

Ronald Weasley had doted on his daughter throughout her childhood, giving her everything she'd wanted, assuring her mother wasn't pressuring her to her breaking point, and that the men in the family didn't pick on her too awfully much. He'd been the jovial, but dutiful parent; assuring that his wife and their younger son attended every single Quidditch match she'd ever played (both at Hogwarts and professionally for the Harpies) to show their support. Sure, he'd terribly embarrassed her by blasting off a slew of W.W.W. fireworks at her graduation when her name had been called to receive her diploma, and he always jumped up and down like a maniac whenever she caught the Snitch, but he had _never_ failed her. She'd always counted on her dad's support and guidance.

However, she didn't think he'd take what she was about to divulge very well, especially after mum's most recent mating.

"It's just that the two men are Corwin McLaggen and Scorpius Malfoy," she admitted. "They're first cousins. And, well, you see… Scorpius is a Veela, like his father and grandfather."

Her own father sat up straight in his chair and took his reading spectacles off the bridge of his freckled nose, tossing them to the coffee table, his face tensing with alarm. "And Scorpius… he's…" He swallowed, seeming to firm up his courage. "He hasn't already picked you as his mate, has he?"

Rose closed her eyes and nodded. "Yeah, his Veela's made it clear I'm his one and only."

Ron did something then that she had never heard him do before: he swore up a storm. Every profanity imaginable raced from his lips as he leapt to his feet and began pacing back and forth in the small, enclosed area. His face turned an interesting shade of puce and his fists whitened. "This cannot be happening!" he finally shouted at the roof, looking like he wanted to break something.

Susan, Ron's second wife and Rose's step-mum, came running in from the back yard, a small gardening spade in hand, ready for action. "What's wrong?" she asked, looking about for the danger.

Making her feet, Rose went into the kitchen and got a glass of water for her dad, bringing it back and handing it off to him. "I've just informed dad that I've been claimed as a Veela mate by Scorpius Malfoy, but that I'm actually in hots with both him and his cousin at the same time and can't choose between them."

Her step-mum's spade dropped to the floor and the woman made an adorable 'o' with her mouth in surprise. Clearly, she knew about her husband's first wife and her recent mating to his formal rival, Draco Malfoy.

No one spoke for several moments as Ron loudly gulped down the contents of his water glass. Susan quickly took the cup from his hand the moment the last drop hit his tongue, though; better to get the fragiles out of his grasp as soon as possible. "Well, perhaps we should all just sit down and discuss this rationally," the woman offered, speaking in a very gentle, yet firm tone, guiding them back towards the sitting arrangement.

Once he slumped back into his favorite cozy chair, Rose's father snarled. "What's there to discuss? The Malfoys have fucked over the Weasleys _again_."

"RON!" Susan reprimanded.

"What?" he countered, obviously too angry to care if he offended anyone's sensibilities at the moment. "You know the deal, Suze," he slammed his fist down on the arm rest. "You heard what Fleur said to me the night Rose's mother came to tell us all her 'joyous' news about her mating." He sounded a tad bitter. "Once you're claimed by a Veela, there's nothing that can be done short of a challenge or death. And no one wants to tangle with a Veela, 'cause not only are they protected by the Ministry, but they're bloody powerful when-"

Rose interrupted him, interested in what he'd just said. "Wait, wait! Dad, repeat what you just said."

He blinked, starting at her rather owlishly. "Your mum told us about her mating that bastard, Drac-"

She shook her head. "No, the next part. What did you mean that there was nothing short of a challenge to prevent the Veela claim? What sort of challenge?" And why hadn't her aunt included this little tidbit when they'd talked on the subject a week and a half ago?

Her father ran a hand over his mostly-bald pate. "Uh, from what Fleur said, if another Veela challenges for you, the two fight to see who gets you."

Rose's hopes sunk. "Only another Veela, huh? Can't just be any plain, old wizarding-type?"

Ron shrugged. "Not sure. You should talk to her and find out."

She rubbed a hand over her eyes. "I already did. She told me that there was nothing I could do to prevent Scorpius' claim on me, and urged me not to fight it. She _didn't _mention a thing about challenges, though."

"I wonder what else she's held back, then," Susan stated, reaching out and putting a supportive hand over Rose's as it rested on her knee. "Perhaps you should talk to her again, and this time, demand answers."

Rose nodded. "I also think I need to find out more information about Veelas. Clearly, there's a lot to them that isn't covered in the school texts. Someone _has_ to know more about this mating thing."

"Try the Department of for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures-Being Division," her grandfather, Arthur, chimed in from the kitchen doorway, his stooped figure supported by his favorite, sturdy cane. "They probably have cabinets of information regarding Veela laws, as well as research information." He smiled, his old eyes crinkling with that sparkling, youthful mirth that he was so beloved for. "Sorry to interrupt. Was just on my way to get a glass of lemonade for Molly and couldn't help but overhear."

Rose hopped up and crossed the room to give the elderly man a big hug. "Hi, grandpa! How are you feeling?"

Arthur returned the embrace one-armed. Despite his age, her father's father still had strength in his hugs, and she smiled as the familiar menthol scent of his favorite joint cream tickled her nose. "Today, I'm feeling quite spry, Petal," he replied, using her childhood nickname. "Tomorrow… ask me then, yes?"

It was their standard greeting; the same game they'd played with each other since she was five-years old. Over the years, Rose had learned how to gauge the truthfulness of that statement by how much her Pops leaned on his cane. Today, he seemed to be telling the truth.

"How's grandmum?" she asked, leaning back.

Her grandfather sighed and made a face indicating 'eh, could be better' with an incline of his head. "She just needs her rest, dear. Be fit as a fiddle in a few days, I'm sure."

Now she knew he was lying by the heavy weight of his frown. It was no secret that her grandmother had never fully recovered from the death of Uncle Charlie just ten years prior, in an incident involving an accidentally unlocked dragon pen and a Swedish Short-Snout. Her health had been up and down since, with more lows than highs lately. It seemed that everyone knew it was only a matter of time now. The thought made Rose intensely sad, for she loved both of her grandparents something fierce.

If only the gift of a Veela's long life could be given to such wonderful people as them, instead of someone as undeserving as the Malfoys.

Okay, that wasn't quite fair. Scorpius had his good points, if she cared to be truly honest about it, and her mum was clearly off-the-wall for his dad, so there had to be something sizzling going on there, too.

Arthur's arthritic knuckles brushed her chin, tilting her face up to meet his gaze. "You like this Malfoy boy, Scorpius?"

She bit her lip and swallowed, hating to openly admit the truth. "Sometimes."

Her grandfather's true blue eyes met hers, piercing and sharp, despite his advanced years. "But you're in love with his cousin?"

Sighing, she looked down. "I thought I was, but I'm not sure anymore. When we together, it's different now that Scorpius has… well, kissed me. It's like all of the attraction Cor and I had is slowly dying away. I think it's the Veela's doing, but I can't be sure." Tears prickled, threatening to spill over.

Across the room, her father snorted. "That sounds eerily familiar. Your mum and I went through the same thing."

Wiping the moisture away from the corners of her eyes, she turned to him. "When? What happened?"

Her dad rubbed a hand across his eyes and frowned. "You'd just started at Hogwarts. Hermione snuck out one afternoon. Thought I didn't know she'd gone to see the rotten, little ferret, Malfoy, to give her condolences when his wife died. I knew where she'd gone when I'd seen the paper laid open on the kitchen table and Astoria Malfoy's obituary was in the news. Your mum always had a weakness for pathetic and lost causes. Too bloody compassionate for her own good." He shook his head with cynical disbelief. "When she came back hours later from the Malfoy's place, everything changed between us. We never-" He stopped, pursing his lips. "What we had faded away after that. She just… wasn't in love with me anymore." He made a tsk-ing noise. "Now that I know about his family being Veela, I'm sure that has something to do with it. He must have chosen her for his next mate right then – not five bloody days after losing his first mate. He'd changed her that afternoon, somehow. Must have." He reached out and took Susan's hand in his, squeezing it to reassure her that he was pleased with how things turned out, even if he hadn't liked the method of getting there. "Anyway, I'm just saying that maybe you're going through the same thing."

Rose made a mental note to go see her mum first thing tomorrow and to send a note asking to meet with Aunt Fleur later in the day, and to make plans to visit the Ministry on Thursday, as she wouldn't have practice then and could use the whole day for her research.

"Sounds like you have your work cut out for you, Petal," her grandfather smiled. "Before you dash off, though, could I convince you to help an old man to get a long-overdue glass of lemonade for his tetchy wife?"

Chuckling, she nodded. "Sure, one sec." Rushing across the room to her father, she hugged him right as he came to his feet, preparing to follow her out. Susan stood at his side. "Thanks for listening, daddy."

Warm, comforting, bulky arms came about her and held her to a barrel chest. "Anytime, sweetheart. You know I'm better at breaking heads, but occasionally I offer up some good words, too." He kissed her cheek. "You just be careful, Roz," he cautioned as he pulled back. "Veela are pretty tough creatures, so I've heard. If Malfoy hurts you in any way, you come tell me. _I'll_ take care of him."

She kissed his cheek. "Don't worry – I'm a Weasley. We can hold our own, and I've got my share of invented hexes I'm just itching to try out."

Ron nudged her jaw. "That's my girl."

She embraced Susan next, and they said their farewells, and then she escorted Arthur into the kitchen, got him his lemonade, and helped him to his bedroom with it. Her grandmother was fast asleep in their antiquated, hand-carved bed, so she was quiet to set the glass down at her bedside, to press a light kiss to Molly's cheek, and then another to Arthur's, and finally to slip out. She Floo'd back to her flat to get ready for bed.

**X~~~~~X**

**_Monday, July 7th, 2031 (night) to Tuesday, July 8th, 2031 (morning)_**

There were fireworks in the inky black sky outside of the entrance to the bell tent that Rose blinked and found herself suddenly standing in the middle of. There was a thick layer of snow on the ground outside, and the encampment overlooked the Black Lake, which lay off in the distance. The twinkling residual of the lightshow's blooms sparkled across the placid, dark surface of the water.

Looking down, she found she was dressed appropriately for winter in a one-piece, black stretch suit (designed for keeping warmth in and wet out for play in the snow), matching gloves, white knee-high winter boots, and a fluffy, white woolen scarf about her neck.

None of the clothes were familiar. That could only mean one thing.

"Have a nice time last night?" she snarked, knowing that if she turned, she'd find _him_ somewhere nearby, most likely behind her. "A little bird told me that you and Eleri had the ride of your lives back at her flat after leaving the pub."

The sound of Scorpius making his feet and stepping towards her brought all her defenses up, and she stretched her senses out to determine how close he may actually be. It was hard to tell such things here in the dream world, though - hence the reason she gave a small jump when his nose touched the bend in her neck and deeply inhaled.

"You're one to talk, honey. I can smell my cousin all over you, even through the veil of dreams," he jibed back, his voice a venomous whisper in her ear. "Is he in bed with you right now?"

Rose swallowed back her nervousness. "No. Is my friend with you? Or is it a different girl tonight?" Clasping tight to her courage, she huffed with as much disdain as she could muster and stuck her nose in the air. "I knew you wouldn't change, Scor. You're a liar and untrustworthy."

Before she could comprehend what was happening, he had her spun around and pushed back until she tripped and fell… right into the middle of a soft mattress. Struggling to get her elbows under her, she was ill-prepared for the speed at which he moved as he was suddenly kneeling over her, her wrists pinned to her sides, his weight settled across her abdomen. His face was dark with anger, his features shifting as his Veela came forward.

"_We're_ untrustworthy?" he snapped, incredulous, his amalgamated voice thick with fury. "_You_ lied to us from the start! The deal was just an excuse to buy time while you went looking for a way out of this mating, wasn't it? You never had any intention of honoring your word, did you, babe? You _played_ us, Rose!" He sneered down at her with hurt and anger etched into every angle and curve of his face. "If you can fuck around on us, then why shouldn't _we_ take our pleasure where we can, too - especially when our mate denies us at every turn and willingly spreads her legs for someone else?"

"You chauvinistic, hypocritical son of a bitch!" she spat, her own ire growing by the second. "You _forced_ my hand – threatening to rape me if I didn't bargain with you! What the hell kind of sick, twisted shite is that? Did you think I'd just roll over and accept being told who I was going to marry and have children with, and what my future was going to hold? You could have just talked to me about it once you found out I was your mate, you arrogant bastard! We might have been able to come to an arrangement. But _nooooo_, you had to bully and terrorize me, just like you did back in school!"

He stared at her like she had sprouted a second head, and in a blink, the Veela retreated, letting Scorpius handle this argument all by his lonesome. "I think your memory is _Confunded_, sweetheart, because as I recall, _you_ started the whole antagonism between us as children by slamming a door on my hand and breaking it when all I'd done was hold it out to say 'hello'!"

Opening her mouth to flame a retort, she stopped short as something he said hit her right between the eyes, momentarily stunning her. "What do you mean I broke your hand? You've never mentioned that before."

One dark gold eyebrow raised in derision. "You gave me a very painful metacarpal fracture and cleanly snapped both my ring and pinky fingers on my right hand. I spent my first night at Hogwarts in the Hospital Wing, drugged up on foul-tasting Skele-Grow because of you."

She blinked, too stunned to know what to say. Had she really shut the door that hard? She hadn't remembered doing so. "I… Wow. Umm, I didn't know that." Now she felt acutely embarrassed for having harmed him so egregiously. "I-I'm sorry, Scor. Really, I didn't think I'd hurt you that day."

His brows snapped together in irritation. "Why in bloody hell were you so rude to me then, anyway? I never understood what I'd done wrong. We hadn't even properly met yet, and you'd already decided to hate my guts."

Cheeks flushing with embarrassment, she looked away. "I chalk it up to a child's prejudice. I'd grown-up believing you and your family to be the 'black hat' types. I'd been regaled with tales about the rivalry between your family and Uncle Harry, my dad and my mum through my cousins. Your father was, apparently, rather cruel to them as children. And I'd also read a bit about your family in the books about the war from mum's library, so I knew that they'd supported Voldemort the Mad against my parents and that they were blood purists." Boy, it was _really_ stifling hot all of the sudden. "And, well, that day on the platform as we were getting ready to board the train for the first time, my dad told me not to get too friendly with you and that I should beat you in every class. Since I trusted his judgment, I believed he was directing me to prove that we Weasleys weren't as inferior as your family's politics had always presupposed."

Scorpius was silent, sitting rather heavily upon her lower abdomen to keep her firmly in place.

"So, basically, I took all of that together and, well, the picture that had formed of you wasn't very... flattering... and I-I-I suppose I treated you accordingly," she lamely finished, realizing in hindsight how appalling an excuse that sounded.

Her dream companion's face had taken on an interesting shade of crimson; he looked ready to maim small, defenseless creatures. "Let me get this straight," he bit in a carefully controlled tone of voice. "You're saying that you condemned me by proxy. Basically, you judged me in the same ridiculously offensive manner as my father had once judged your mum and dad, and that's what set-off seven years of rivalry between us?"

Well, that wasn't quite fair! "Maybe, but it took two to create our twisted tango, Scor. You weren't exactly Mister Congeniality back then, you know. You still aren't. And the tactics you're using today are the same as they were when we were kids: bullying and terrorizing."

"I'm not-" was all he managed to get out before she talked right over him.

"You've forced me here, haven't you? It's your world in the dream, and I can't affect it in the slightest – not even to change my clothing to something more decent on occasion. I can't get out either without your permission." She jiggled her wrists and he clamped down on them to hold them still, proving her next point. "I can't even run to escape you. I'm your effective captive; just another conquest to add to the collection. But unlike Eleri or your other girls, _I'll _never be free of you. You're going to guarantee that by marking me and stealing my will, turning me into nothing more than your fuck puppet." She turned her head, the tears of helpless frustration burning, scorching twin paths down her cheeks. "At least your cousin cares about me enough to respect my coming to a decision on my own about us. He confessed he loves me today – not to get me to say it back, but just because he wanted me to know."

In the bat of an eyelash, Scorpius' Veela returned to share his consciousness, and he yanked her wrists above her head with a strong grip and pressed his forehead to hers. "Stay away from our goddamned cousin, Rose! You're _ours_," he warned her quite succinctly, his voice dripping with malice.

She sniffed at his incredible arrogance, tired of this game and wishing to wake up at any minute. "You wish."

He went stock-still, staring at her through narrowed, cunning eyes. "So sure of yourself, mate? Don't think I can make you beg for me if I wanted to? Shall we test the theory?" he challenged, and dropped his mouth to hers.

The kiss was not at all what she expected. Rather than the demanding, punishing pressure Rose had anticipated, it was gentle, but filled with passion. His lips easily parted hers and his slick, moist tongue swept into her mouth without resistance, dizzying her with its expert invasion. Sparks ignited in her belly when the tip of that soft, pink muscle played an erotic game of 'come hither' with the underside of her tongue.

Almighty Above, the taste was intoxicating – all hot male, dark and lush, insidiously conquering. The crux of it was that he wasn't even using his Veela aphrodisiac against her, as the succulent flavor of sweet berries and rich chocolate were completely absent. No, instead, he was taming her with a natural desire and a honed talent that he knew she wouldn't be able to resist. The cocky S.O.B. was going to seduce her into submission… and damn, if that wasn't a wicked, but effective plan, the chemistry between them undeniable and impossible to refuse. Every rational thought she possessed simply flew out the window, and all doubts and fears receded under his expert, teasing skill.

Lapping at her as if he were luxuriating in her taste, Scorpius finally succeeded in drawing her tongue out to play, entwining them, encouraging her to slip between his lips and enter his mouth next. Like a pixie drawn to nectar, she was persuaded by his persistent, sweet kisses, until finally _her _need for more was urging _him_ to give up some of his tightly-held discipline. The desire between them exploded the moment she moaned in submission to the night's game, and his mouth claimed hers in deep, drugging kisses that left no doubt as to his feelings for her – or hers for him.

Rowena, save her! She was quickly becoming a slave to an overwhelming sexual attraction for the man she should be running as far away from, as fast as possible.

"Don't think," he whispered between pulls of lips. "Just feel." His mouth covered hers, feasting, suckling at her tongue. She trembled from head to toe in response, and her nipples grew into taut, almost painful peaks under the rasping fabric of the snow suit. All of her nerves went hyper-sensitive, and fire roared to life in her womb. Against her mouth, Scorpius knowingly smiled. "Yeah, just like that, pretty mate. See how good we are together?"

His mouth trailed a hot, wet path over her jaw and down her throat, finding the erogenous spot above her pulse and biting over it with light pressure. It was then that she realized that her scarf, gloves and boots had disappeared as the dream began to marginally shift around them. From her peripheral vision, she caught the movement of the tent flap as it dropped into place, closing them off from the outside. Two of the magically-floating light spheres above extinguished, creating a more romantic atmosphere.

In a blink, Scorpius was all bare, smoothly-muscled skin except for his jeans, the bulk of his clothing magically dispelled. Turning his head and meeting her gaze, his Veela fully took over. Once again, his features shifted into those of a dark angel's - shadows crept across his cheekbones, his grey irises bled to liquid silver, and his skin took on a sheen that made it appear to glow with a shimmering, alabaster perfection in the dim, flickering light. Gracefully arching wings appeared from his back, entirely obscuring her view of the tent ceiling, enclosing them in a blanket of soft, white feathers.

There was a momentary panic as fear gripped Rose's heart in a tight hold, but the Veela did not seem inclined towards any sudden, suspicious moves, simply content to watch her for long minutes in silence. When it became obvious that he had no plans to harm her, she felt her muscles slowly unknot, relax. To her utter surprise, a small smile graced his lips at her calm capitulation.

Very hesitantly, he lowered his head. "May I kiss you, pretty mate? Just me - no Scorpius this time."

Her eyes flared as a spike of panic returned. "Are you going to use your powers on me?"

He halted his advance a breath away. "Not if you don't want me to." He ran velvety soft lips over hers. "_Do_ you want me to, babe? Would that make this easier for you if I simply took your will with my taste?"

A small shake of her head was all she could manage, as her mouth was suddenly as dry as desert sand. If they were really going to try this without Scor – oh gods, oh gods, _oh gods!_ - then she wanted full control of her mental faculties, just in case.

His tongue peeked out to very lightly trace the shape of her mouth. "Then I won't. Can I kiss you now?"

Stunned that he would even ask, that he would show such restraint and consideration, she nodded once, wanting to know what it would be like to do this with the beast alone. "Alright, go ahead."

He was already dipping to sip from her as her whisper passed between them, and oh, this kiss was even more melting than the first one they'd shared tonight! It was reverent and delicate, as if each pass were fragile and cherished. It was, to her amazement, beautiful.

"More?" he murmured.

Rose closed her eyes and tilted her mouth closer, and that was all the invitation he needed.

The Veela swept in, and this was more the kind of kiss she expected from him – spicy, fiery, all male aggression. He took bold possession of her mouth, sampling her with broad sweeps of his tongue and sucking pulls upon her bottom lip. She rose to meet him with an equal fervor, giving as good as she got, heart slamming a heavy beat in her chest. A jolt of crackling energy traveled up the length of her spine, and unexpected warmth seeped from between her lower lips as pure, unadulterated desire shot between them.

"Oh fuck_, yeah,_" the Veela groaned as he ate at her with tongue and teeth and lips, shooting them into the realm of sexual insanity quicker than she'd ever been taken before. His hips glided backwards, dropping down into the cradle of her quaking thighs and mounted her, seeking their natural joining. His jeans-clad erection was hard and heavy as it strained against its captivity, unwittingly pushing against her clit as he adjusted, causing the tiny nub of flesh to throb and swell with heightened need.

Holy hell, she was in trouble! He wasn't even using his Veela wiles on her, and all they'd really done was kiss, and she was already wet and aching to be filled by him, the feel of that huge arousal against her making her burning curious to know how it would feel sliding to the hilt inside her, stretching her open.

"Okay?" he asked between kisses.

Moaning in agreement, she captured his lips again, devouring him with an ardor that matched his, consumed by the pleasure he brought her. Her fingers kneaded at air, wanting freedom so they could run through his hair to pull him closer, but his grip on her wrists kept her frustratingly immobile. Straining beneath him, she arched her back and lifted her knees, and actually whimpered a plea to be let loose so she could get at him, her desperation for them to have sex and for her to actually come this time a clawing animal raging inside her chest, wanting out.

"Slow down. Easy, honey," he panted, pulling his mouth from hers and running his lips across her cheek, seeking to control the situation. That conflux of voices was back when he spoke, and she knew Scorpius was sharing the moment with them again; knew it was his influence, in fact, that was pulling them away from the brink of madness. "Our control is too thin. If we let your hands go now, you know what will happen. We'll get naked and it'll be fast and hard. You won't want that." His lips ran over her throat, enticing her with hot breath against her ear. "But _gods,_ the thought of our cock buried so deep inside you, fucking your sweet pussy, coming with you – coming _inside_ of you…" He growled with hunger and rolled his hips, grinding them together. Rose whined, her pelvis surging up into his in automatic reaction, matching his movements, her cunt clenching, spasming with hot, blistering need.

Leisurely humping against each other, he pressed his mouth to her skin again, scraping his teeth ever-so-gently over the pulse. "Is this alright though?"

Shivering from the repressed desire, Rose turned her nose into his soft hair, deeply inhaling the fresh, clean scent of it and nuzzling. "Feels so good," she sighed, floating on the high of sensual need.

His fingers slid up the side of her body, cupping a breast through her clothing. "And this?" he asked, his voice a husky murmur vibrating against her throat, his hips continuing their pleasurable rhythm.

She bowed her spine, pressing up into his palm. "More," she vaguely heard herself beg, caught up in the moment.

"A little more," he agreed, and his fingers found the zipper at her neckline and pulled down until it met its end at just above her snatch. Brushing the two sides apart, he bared her naked breasts to the air. With the lightest of caresses, he cupped her, feeling the weight of her flesh, circling an areola again and again, teasingly avoiding the nipple. Just when she was about to lose her fecking mind and demand he stop playing games, he rolled the tight bud between his finger and thumb, giving her what she craved. Her gasp was loud in the enclosed space and she strained against the steely trap of his hand to free her wrists again, wanting so very much to touch him back in the same way.

"Let me touch you," she pleaded. "I have to touch you!"

Taking a deep breath, he shook his head, even as he nipped at her swollen, bottom lip. "You'd strip our self control too fast." Bending his head, readjusting his position, he lingered over her left nip, letting his lips ghost over it. "This is ours, though. We've been dreaming of sucking these pretty things for a long time."

Dropping just that fraction of an inch and opening his lips to engulf the taut, ripe berry of her nipple sent Rose's limbs to violently trembling. "Ah, Gods!" she all but screamed as he lashed over the sensitive little bud, drawing it deep into the moist cavern of his mouth and suckling with hard pulls. When his teeth nibbled upon it, her pussy pulsed, soaking her knickers with her arousal.

"We can smell you," he murmured, sliding his cock harder between her thighs. "You're so wet for us, aren't you, honey? Your cream smells rich, thick… so _fucking_ tempting…" He turned his attention to the other breast, stroking across the sensitive flesh with broad laps of his tongue, even as his fingers smoothly glided down her bare abdomen. "Just a small taste."

Reaching the end of the zip, his fingers dipped under the fabric of her snow suit, slipping past the waist of her knicks to cup over her mound. He groaned, teasing his fingers through her neatly trimmed curls. "Bloody hell, babe," his Veela came to the forefront again. "You're so ready for me, aren't you? Damp down here, hot as hell to the touch." He slid a finger through her slick seam, stroking from bottom to top, ending by rubbing her clit in enticing circles.

To her utter mortification, Rose _wailed_, quaking now from the all-consuming need to be fucked good and hard. She wanted to come - _needed_ to so much! Her pussy wept, her engorged nub fluttered, tingled. Her attempts to break free of his hold doubled, but his strength held firm.

Pulling his hand away after a final swipe through her center, she whimpered with disappointment. "Now, now, babe," he chuckled and lightly nipped her breast, her throat, her bottom lip. "Only a taste tonight." Bringing his fingers to his mouth, he sucked them in deep, licking away every bit of her sticky juices. Those unfathomable mercurial eyes locked onto hers all the while, and when he'd had his fill, his smile was as lusty as the moan that escaped his lips. "Mmm, like candy. I'm going to love eating you out."

Panting and shaking all over, Rose was consumed by her hunger for him. "Do it now," she demanded, feeling wildly out of control.

Scorpius' Veela chuckled and his wings folded back. "Admit you're mine, Rose, and I'll do anything to you that you want. _Anything._"

"You bastard," she hissed in mounting frustration. "You're using sex like a weapon."

His lips twitched with amusement, as his wet fingers glossed around one areola again, tracing circles. "I'm Veela, babe. It's the one talent I naturally possess."

"Is that what you told Eleri, too?"

The circling stopped and his expression dropped into a flat, serpentine boredom. "You fucked up, I fucked up. We're even. I won't repeat it, if you don't." His hand reached down and pulled the zip of her suit up to her collar, effectively shutting this session down and leaving them both desperately wanting.

"Admitting that I'm sexually attracted to you doesn't solve any of the problems or make things right between us," she clarified the situation in a tight tone. "The fact of the matter is I don't want this mating so long as you're forcing me into it. If you're going to court me, we can talk about it, but I won't be told what to do, or bullied or seduced into it." Anger only made her arousal more acute, she realized as they stared each other down, neither backing from their positions.

Leaning his nose down to hers, he met her glare with his own. "You're the most stubbornly, infuriating woman I've ever met, Rose. You're just lucky that I love you enough to tolerate it."

Opening her mouth to remonstrate that he couldn't possibly feel such an emotion for her, as he didn't really know her, she was cut her off by a kiss. The Veela smoothly dipped in and captured her tongue with his and effectively silenced her for a few moments more as the passion was renewed between them. Absently, she noted that her salt coated his mouth. At that evocative reminder of what they'd just done rose to the forefront, her hips uncontrollably undulated against his. Under his jeans, she was pleased to find that Scorpius was still solid and straining.

"Damn, babe, you make me crazy," he murmured as they kissed, pumping against her, his free hand grabbing her arse and pulling it up into him. "I want my tongue in your pussy, and my cock in your mouth. I want my teeth locked onto your throat as I fuck you for hours, until we're both too exhausted to move." He ground against her, moaning. "Shite, Scorpius says our time's almost up." Breathing heavy, he pulled up, letting her lips go and pressed his forehead to hers. "I don't wanna let you go." With a sigh, he kissed her a final time, giving the body up to his host. "Good night, mate. I'll see you soon."

The shift from magical creature to human was a rapid transformation; the wings simply disappeared, the hair and eyes reverted to normal, and the shadows melted away, leaving behind the softer features of the man. Scorpius looked tired, though, as if this long session had taken a lot out of him. Very gently, he lowered her hip back to the mattress and let his hold on her wrists go. "Are you okay?"

Moving her hands and working the circulation back into them made her realize just how much the dream world was designed to feel real to her – right down to the pins and needles sensation. How much energy did it take to generate all of this anyway? "He didn't hurt me. Just..." She faltered, unsure how much to give away.

Scorpius' fingers tilted her chin so she had to look at him. "Just what, Rose?"

Swallowing her trepidation, she foolishly offered him her uncensored thoughts. "I'm confused now, worse than ever." When he tilted his head to encourage her to go on, she sighed. "Okay, I admit that I'm attracted to both you and your Veela. But Scor, Corwin was my boyfriend before you came into the picture. We were pretty serious. I was falling in love with him, and now, I'm cheating on him with his own cousin, who I'm starting to have feelings for. And I'm being forced to give up the dream of getting married to him someday, because Ministry laws and your Veela's obsession with me won't let me deny your claim. Can't you see how awful all of that is? I've compromised my morals and I'm having my rights forcibly taken away from me! I feel like I'm a piece of property, not a person."

Scorpius sat up, moving off of her to give her space, taking up a seat on the edge of the bed. He looked up at the remaining two light globes floating in the air, his features set into weary resignation. "I'm sorry. If there was some way I could ease us into this over the space of months or years, I would give you that time and court you as you want. I'd win your heart fairly. It may shock you to know this, but I've always wanted you willing in my bed and for you to _want_ to give me your love back." Running a tired hand over his eyes, he sighed. "I never meant to frighten you or hurt you. I don't want to steal your dreams or your freedom, Rose. But the magic pulls at me, and it's _so hard_ to fight. The best analogy I can come up with is trying to beat the effects of Amortentia combined with a Lust Potion. It's practically impossible to stop these compulsions to mark and mate you whenever we're touching. When we're apart, you're all I think of. I wonder if you're safe, if you're happy… how much you hate my guts." He shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I want you so much that at times, it physically hurts."

She came to his side, hesitant and a little wary. "Can't you just have your Veela back off a bit? Give me a little space to think things through?"

He glanced at her sideways. "He's as compelled – actually more so – than I am. It's his nature to claim a mate, his instinct to breed. But I think I'm starting to see that there's more to it than that, too. He really does need you. Whenever you're around, he's better focused, more sincere. And I believe him when he says he loves you. He's been intently watching you since that first day at King's Cross Station, memorizing everything about you." He sniffed in amusement, even as he reached up and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "He knows that you actually don't care for Butterbeer, but that you'll drink it anyway when your friends are all drinking it, that strawberry and chocolate are your favorite ice cream flavors – which is why his aphrodisiac tastes like that combination, that your left eyebrow is slightly more curved than your right, and that when you decide to pull a feint on your broom, there's always a quick dip downwards first before you head into the maneuver." He tapped the side of his head. "I know all of this because he does. You're the only mate he's ever considered, honey. He's never contemplated an alternative, as his feelings for you are overwhelming. So, no, I don't think he can back off more than he's already conceded to trying to do."

Rose reflected on that while she paced over to the tent entrance, fiddling with the strings that were used to tie the fabric back to create the opening. "So, we're at an impasse still? Your Veela is going to force the mating because he can't help himself, you'll have to go along for the ride, and I'm going to fight you both, because I can't abide the thought of being controlled and conquered."

Behind her, Scorpius let out a weary sigh. "It doesn't have to be this way, Rose. Let's just go back to the deal and try again. I promise never to hurt you again by touching another woman if you'll promise to let us court you and not to go near my cousin again."

She paused, her chest aching at the thought of really having to let Corwin go this time if she agreed. "Give me a few days, please. I need to… to talk more to my mum about her mating, and to my Aunt Fleur. She's a quarter Veela. They can help me understand all of this better."

Warm arms came around her from behind, and Scorpius pressed a kiss to her temple. "I'll come to you tomorrow night and we can talk more, too, alright?" Laying his cheek against hers, he rubbed softly. "Just promise to _really_ think about us. It's not just my Veela who wants you, Rose."

With that, he opened and dropped his arms and the tent flap pulled back on its own, allowing her an escape. She took the offer, stepping out into the chilly, pre-dawn air…

**X~~X**

Waking in her bed, Rose glanced over at the charmed clock on the side dresser: four A.M.

Exhausted, damp between her legs, and buzzing from unresolved sexual tension, she flipped onto her stomach, punched her pillow, and decided to try to get back to sleep. After all, there was nothing worse than dragging your arse around all day to run social errands after only a few hours of real rest. And if she was going to have to face off with her mother and Aunt (and maybe even Eleri today, too, if she had the energy), she'd need a sharp mind.

* * *

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S END-CHAPTER NOTES:**

**PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE (with sugar on) REVIEW! **

**Seriously, I live for your reviews (especially the long, meaty ones). I love to hear how you felt about this chapter, about the story overall, about the characters, and your best guesses about what's going to happen next. I love when you recommend songs that you feel reflect the story, or to hear how you felt about the images I've chosen to go along with this story (you can see them at the URL below). Your messages help to motivate me, honestly. ^_^**

**URL to see the images for this story (including characters, banners, outfits, etc. - remove the spaces to load the URL properly): ****http:/ / s905 . photobucket . com / albums / ac260 / RZZMG / Second%20Chances**


	10. Chapter 9: Casualty of Schism

_**CHAPTER 9: CASUALTY OF SCHISM**_

_**Tuesday, July 8th, 2031 (afternoon)**_

Scorpius had gone to settle things once and for all with Eleri at her flat. To his surprise, it had gone smoother than he'd expected thus far: she'd listened to him without interruption, and hadn't broken into sobs or fits of screaming. He took this as a good omen.

"I'm really sorry," he contritely offered again, after explaining that he couldn't see her anymore and was breaking their deal. "I promised Rose – only her from now on."

El was stiff in her seat, staring down at the tall glass of lemonade on the table before her, wiping the condensation from the sides with slow, measured strokes of her index finger and thumb, working her way around the surface. Her face was a perfect Slytherin porcelain mask – calmly enigmatic. "I'm sorry, too, for suggesting this… _us_, to continue. It was wrong. I got greedy."

He took a sip from the glass she'd laid out for him, letting the cool, sweet-tart liquid swill over his dry tongue and down his throat. "Are you going to be alright?"

A single dip of her dark head. "I've always known how things were between us, Scor. You don't have to worry about me. I'm a big girl. It was… fun… while it lasted."

He took a big gulp then, and laid the glass back on the table, feeling some relief. "Alright, then. I guess… I should go. Don't want to overstay my welcome, and I'm sure you have things to do. So... I'll see you around." Because really, what more was there to say? He'd told her everything – been upfront with his feelings, even. And they'd finally reached that awkward pause in the break-up conversation where it was time to part ways before someone said something uncomfortable or hurtful. Better to leave on a good note. He stood and tucked his chair in. "Thank you for everything, El. You're a beautiful woman, inside and out. Some wizard is going to be very lucky to have you someday for his own."

Her lips tugged into a slight frown. It was the only outward emotion she'd shown during the entirety of their discussion. "Right."

Feeling that familiar guilt that came whenever he ended things with a woman, Scorpius turned and let himself out. This time, though, the remorse was worse than usual, and the skill he'd cultivated over the years to be able to disconnect his feelings after severing a relationship was absent. All the way down the hall and out the front door to the end of her drive, his chest throbbed and his eyes burned with unshed tears. He was letting an important part of his life go in ending things with El today, and it _really, truly_ sucked to infinity to know he had been forced to hurt her - someone he honestly cared for - in the doing.

He and Eleri had been best mates since the beginning of their school days; sitting next to her at Slytherin's table after their sorting, she'd been the one to insist he go to the Hospital Wing to get his broken hand mended, and had even escorted him there with Zabini, asking directions from the portraits and ghosts along the way. She'd been a constant in his life for all the years since, there for him through every disappointment and every triumph. She'd been his support - his _friend_. If there was ever a girl he should have been deeply in love with and taken for a wife, it should have been Eleri Nott. Yet those feelings hadn't developed on his side, no matter how many times they'd ended up in bed together. Yes, he loved her, just not in the mother-of-his-children, holder-of-his-soul type of way.

It made him sad to know that their friendship would now have to come to a permanent end. They could be acquaintances, but never be as close as they once were, for it would hurt Rose too much – something he couldn't abide. His mate was his future now, and her needs would always come first, no matter what sacrifices he needed to make to insure that.

Raising his wand, he stepped to Apparate home. Just as the sensation of being tugged away overtook him, he heard a heart-wrenching sob come from inside El's flat, followed by the sound of tinkling glass as it shattered against a wall.

**X~~~~~X**

_**Tuesday, July 8th, 2031 (night) – Wednesday, July 9th, 2031 (morning)**_

After a hard afternoon and evening of emotional self-flagellation over Eleri's sadness, the last thing Scorpius had wanted to tackle was Rose caught up in her nightmares again. He'd been hoping for a nice, relaxing dream session tonight with some talking and sharing and laughter, and then a round of hot, heavy snogging and petting, but it seemed fate was dead-set against him. Her nightmare greeted him the moment he tried to penetrate her mind, and he knew he was going to have to brave the terrors to pull her out again.

Gathering his mental fortitude, he stepped through...

It was the same scene as the last time: a nice, white house with blue accents, neatly trimmed yard, pastoral and quiet view, and the full moon in the sky illuminating the out-of-place bloodied hand print on the front door. He entered, and once more found the inside to be a wreck, as if a fire had swept through it. He avoided the obvious pitfalls and opened the door to Rose's bedroom. This time, he was in the hallway of the dungeon at Hogwarts. A seventh-year version of Rose was kneeling and facing one stone wall near a corner, rocking her upper body back and forth as she moaned.

With soft step, he approached and knelt down behind her. "Rose, baby? It's me, Scorpius. Can you hear me?"

"Why do you always hurt me, Scor?" she whimpered, her hands covering her eyes. "Why won't you let me see? I want to trust you, but I can't see. Let me see, please!" Her tone had grown progressively more upset as she talked, until the last came out as a wailing plea.

Scorpius very gently wrapped his arms about her. "I'm going to take you out of here now. Hold onto me, baby."

"Save me, Scor. Let me see," she begged.

He kissed her cheek. "I'll save you, baby. Hold onto me."

Again, he needed his Veela's help to break through the nightmare and pull them both into his safe, nice dream world. His bestial side, however, seemed very upset by the scene before him – agitated, even – and he snarled at Scorpius.

_This is your fault, you bastard,_ his other half accused, irate.

Before he could ask for an explanation, Scorpius felt his Veela yank them all out of the nightmare.

**X~~~X**

It was a warm spring day, and the scent of flowers carried on the breeze. Scorpius opened his eyes and found he was lying on the ground on a blanket, the bright sun above shaded by the towering oaks above him. In his arms, laying over his body was Rose. She was just now waking up, her long, dark eyelashes fluttering as her lids opened. She took a deep breath, sighed with contentment and nuzzled against his bare chest.

Gods, this felt right. They fit so well together, their curves and angles matching like lock and key.

Reaching out to stroke her cheek, he inadvertently raised her into full consciousness. With a gasp, as if she finally recognized where she was, she jack-knifed up into a seated position and looked about with fear. When she noted her dream partner lying at her side, her guard dropped and she sighed – this time with disgruntlement. "You really need to wear a bell or something," she drawled, scooting back to put some space between them.

Scorpius played it cool, swallowing his disappointment and channeling that energy into flirtation instead. Locking his hands behind his head, he assumed a indolent pose and threw her his most charming smile. "Hey, baby. Miss me?"

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "About as much as one can miss a persistent tropical rash."

"Ah, so you like it warm and wet, with just that little bit of itch to make it fun?" he teased. "That, I can definitely give you."

Rose pursed her lips to keep back a giggle. "I'll just bet you can."

"So, did you speak with your mum or Aunt today?" he asked, wanting to get the messy business out of the way fast so he could get down to the _really good_ dirty stuff after.

Her amusement abruptly fell away. "Yes."

He waited for her to continue, but she merely looked off into the distance through the trees, not giving away any interesting tidbits about those convos. "And?" he prompted.

Her cheek gave a small spasm – clearly a nervous tick. "And, I learned some things," she hedged.

"What things, precisely?" he politely inquired, not wanting to provoke a fight, but wanting out with it so he would have a chance to undo any damage those discussions might have done in his absence. Gods knew what the women in her family would have told her to make that big brain of her start churning and scheming.

Readjusting her position, she looked at the sun dress he'd chosen for her this time – a very feminine, sweetheart-cut dress that fitted her waist, fell to her knees, and hung by thin shoulder straps that were tied off. Its sapphire blue fabric made her eyes pop, and the white flowers that decorated it gave her a soft, romantic air. Her unbound breasts, lean torso and strong hips were accentuated by the flattering cut of the outfit, and she was barefoot and bare-legged. Overall, he thought her quite ravishing. Rose, it seemed, actually liked this outfit. "Pretty," she deflected the conversation, playing with the hem of the dress. "Is this silk? It feels like it. I would swear it was sil-"

Scorpius knew that whatever she was hiding, it was because she hadn't liked the answers she'd heard from her mum and Aunt. "Rose," he sighed with mounting frustration. "Spill it."

"Okay, fine," she snapped. "But before I tell you, I want a promise that you won't get angry at me for asking questions that I have every right to inquire about."

Intrigued, he sat up on his elbows and stared at her. "Alright," he easily agreed. "I won't get angry with you for wanting to know everything – but that's because I understood that particular quirk of yours years ago."

Like she had when they'd been first years together at school, she merely stuck her tongue out at him and frowned. He'd always believed that particular expression was her last resort, when she was unable to think of a good comeback.

"Right," she began, taking a deep breath, "Well, I asked for my mum to tell me her history with your dad, and to describe for me her mating again – not just the physical stuff, but the feelings. I wanted to know if she'd felt… coerced… into falling in love with him." When he raised an eyebrow at that, she obviously felt the need to defend her position. "I mean, we both know that their childhood wasn't amicable in the least, and it seemed much too odd to me that such diametrically opposed, antagonistic personalities could ever find common ground enough for a romantic relationship to bloom. I thought that maybe it was Veela magic that had changed her somehow when they'd been kids."

"How could it have been?" he countered. "The Malfoy Veela don't awaken until the man's twenty-fifth year. That's the curse."

She shook her head. "Not in their case. It seems that the first time they got together, they were both virginal, horny little teenagers in sixth year. Your dad had been injured by Uncle Harry in some sort of wand duel and was convalescing in the Hospital Wing overnight. Mum snuck in after hours to visit. She told me that they'd gotten into a whispered fight because he wouldn't accept her apology for Uncle Harry injuring him, and that her hand had somehow touched his in the ensuing argument, and _WHAMMO!_ Veela magic took hold of both of them. They'd ended up popping each other's cherries, shagging like bunnies right there in the hospital cot, covering it up with a Silencing Charm. Apparently, his Veela had wanted her for its mate from the first moment they met, and it saw an opportunity that night and somehow, enchanted them both."

Scorpius frowned. "That shouldn't have been possible."

"Mum thinks it was because… well… your dad had taken the Dark Mark that year," she cautiously stated. "She thinks that maybe his Veela had been jarred awake earlier than usual by the trauma of knowing that your dad had signed on for what amounted to a suicide mission, and that maybe it had been trying to get her up the duff - to fulfill its biologic need to impregnate its chosen mate, just in case it died in the coming war."

"But your mum _didn't_ get pregnant then, did she?" he asked.

Rose shook her head. "No. When I asked her that same question, she said they hadn't used any contraceptive spells or potions, but for some reason, she didn't get pregnant. Now that she's mated to your dad, and she understands the function of the Three Marks – especially the last one, which she explained in painful detail to me, by the way – she speculated that the reason she hadn't conceived that night when they'd been kids was because your dad's Veela was too weak from forcing itself awake so early. It couldn't even fully manifest and didn't mark her then for its mate because it didn't have the energy. All it could do was enchant them both with its lust." She shrugged. "So, no baby-making and no permanent marking."

Scorpius considered what she'd said. "Then how come my dad mated my mum, Astoria, if his Veela had already chosen your mum for its prime mate?"

Rose's cheeks pinked a pretty hue. "She was already pregnant with me when your dad went through the Veela ritual upon his twenty-fifth birthday. From how she explained it, if a female candidate is pregnant at the time the ritual occurs, the male Veela's magic somehow knows and understands that she's no longer available for breeding."

Everything clicked together in his head. "So dad's Veela had no choice but to pick an alternate witch: my mum." He mulled that over, feeling a bit sorry for his mother for having come in second best. Oh, he knew his father had loved Astoria Greengrass, and that she'd never wanted for anything while they'd been married and mated – especially affection, as his father had been quite romantic with his mother, as Scorpius recalled from his early childhood days. But, now it was clear to him that his mother had never been his father's other half of his soul, as a mate should be. That distinction had belonged to Hermione Granger alone, it seemed. He wondered if his mother had known, and felt pity for her.

"When my mother… died," he stumbled over the word, still finding all these years later how painful it was to admit that his beautiful, gentle mother was gone, "my grand-mere told me that my father's Veela had gone on a rampage. They'd almost had to put him down with poison, because magic doesn't work on a fully feral Veela." He glanced at her through the fringe of his lashes. "Your mum came to see him soon after, and when she left… grand-mere said it was a miracle. Your mother somehow calmed him. He was never the same, though. It took him a month to get out of bed, and another year to actually begin leaving the house on short jaunts and working for the family's company. I always assumed it was because he was sad from my mum's loss, but now I think…" He paused, trying to find the right words. "I think he was mourning not just my mother, but all the lost years with your mother, Rose – his originally-intended mate."

She nodded. "That makes sense. My dad told me that when my mum went to Malfoy Manor that day to offer her condolences, she'd come home hours later and everything was different between them. She'd simply fallen out of love with my dad, like a switch turning off." Tears wavered in her vision, but did not fall. She sniffled and held them back. "Whatever happened between your father and my mother that day, they both changed. I suspect that your father's Veela recognized her and remembered who she was to him, and that's what had helped him get back under control. Maybe they even… _you know_… had sex that day. Reaffirmed some connection that helped to bring your dad back from the edge."

_I would have done exactly that,_ his Veela snarked in his head.

Scorpius nodded in agreement to both Rose's supposition and his Veela's thought. "You know, dad waited fourteen years to perform the ritual again and take a second mate. I bet he was hoping for the Veela magic to choose your mum, and that's why he never dated again after my mother's death – why he was so withdrawn from the world for all that time. He didn't want to muck up the chance that the magic would choose someone else."

"Hmm… that's... definitely plausible. And really rather romantic," Rose concluded, seeming impressed, biting her plump bottom lip.

Scorpius' gaze locked onto her mouth. Slytherin's beard, he loved those pillowed lips of hers. He intended on kissing them tonight until she was breathless and begging…

_I need to touch her,_ his Veela impatiently growled, and he could feel its psychic pacing back and forth in his head. _I want to hold her._

"You know," she interrupted his thoughts, giving him a surprisingly genuine smile. "Your dad's alright in my book, Scor. I'm glad things worked out between him and my mum, even though it did hurt my father." She seemed a little saddened by that fact. "Some things were meant to be, I guess. And dad's happy with Susan in a way he could never have been with my mother, so it worked out for all of them."

Adjusting her seated position, she tucking her legs up closer to her body and shifting her weight a bit, which caused her breasts to thrust as her back bowed for a moment. It was an unintentionally sexy movement which drew Scorpius' attention straight-away to her breasts.

Luscious, pale curves barely hinted above the clinging bodice of her dress. Each mound was cupped and lifted by the design, and the cleavage in between had him envisioning naughty fantasies involving tunneling through those soft pillows of flesh with his cock.

Thoroughly distracted by the bounty laid out so temptingly before him, his Veela saw the advantage in the diversion and took over the body. He shoved Scorpius aside and easily held him back. Instantly, Scorpius felt the strange transformation overtake him again as the beast came forward: the tingling through every nerve as his form altered. He instantaneously sprouted a pair of heavy, eagle-shaped wings from his scapula, released a chemical through his system that created a unique type of bio-luminescence inherent only to Veela to give his flesh a pearlized sheen from head to toe, magically grabbed shadows from about them and wrapped them about his cheeks and eyes, and slid an extra layer of special light-reflecting cells over his retina, causing his eyes to shine a molten silvery color as a result of the dim shadows. It happened in a blink or two, but Scorpius was aware of every part of the alteration as it occurred, recognizing the components that made the fascinating change possible.

Unfortunately, the transformation also tended to leave him dizzy for a second or two, giving the Veela ample time to establish its dominance. In full control of their movements, the Veela sat them up and stretched his white and black wings wide. "Hello, my pretty mate," he murmured the greeting in a seductive, dark tone.

Rose froze in her personal amusements playing with the flowing fabric of her dress, and her eyes jerked to his with all of the alert wariness of prey. "Veela," she greeted with surprising calm. "H-how are you?"

"Lonely without you," he charmingly flirted, giving her a big grin.

Her lips twitched as if she wanted to smile, but her natural reserve kicked in and controlled it.

"How have you been today? Did you sleep well after last night? Did you rest and eat enough today?" it asked in that deeper baritone that was its true voice. "My boy-o failed to ask you such things, I noticed."

_Hey, don't try to make me look bad, _Scorpius chastised his other side, put-out by such a rude comment._ We're a team, remember?_

His witch blinked, seeming to consider how to reply. "I'm perfectly fine. Thank you." Her eyes narrowed a bit and she appeared very puzzled by something. "Not that I need a caretaker mind you, but… you really care about me, don't you? It's not just about getting in my knickers, is it?"

Scorpius could feel his Veela's pain from her doubt like a shot across his heart. "Of course I care about you. You're my whole world," it easily admitted. "Your safety and health are my top priority, babe."

Rose shook her head. "We don't really know each other enough to care like that."

The Veela sniffed with amusement. "I've known you since we were eleven years old. All those years in school, I watched you - and I loved everything I saw, even your foul temper and scheming ways." He threw her a provocative smirk and waggled his eyebrows. "I love the way you fight, you know - gets me hard for you." Leaning back on the palms of his hands, he positioned his body in such a way that she had a full view of not only the way his bared, muscular torso flexed, but also the thick bulge in his jeans – already prominent, just by being around her. "I'll confess to you something, mate: I loved watching you and Scorpius argue. Your eyes would sparkle and your face would light up in a way it never did for anyone else. Such a strong heart and will are why I chose you."

As planned, Rose's attention was divided between his words and the sight laid out before her. Scorpius knew she'd heard his Veela, but at the moment, her eyes were magnetically drawn down the length of his body to rest upon the sight of his swollen erection. With a sneaky roll of his hips, he thrust that portion of his anatomy towards her and her radiant blush overtook the apples of her cheeks, traveling down her throat. Her nervous swallow and the way her eyes flared in response were quite noticeable – and flattering. She obviously liked what she saw, as told by the way she licked her lips and the hungry gleam in her eyes.

Shaping the dream by will, the Veela intentionally called up a small breeze to caress her breasts in that moment, and Rose shivered, tilting her head back, her lips parting in a small, breathy gasp of desire.

Salazar's bones, she was a stunning woman - gorgeous, sexy, intelligent, magically powerfully, strong willed, and from her scent, very fertile. Rose really was a proper Veela mate in every way, and he could feel his beast's paramount approval. But more than that, he felt its abiding love for her, too, simmering beneath the surface. Scorpius inherently knew that there was nothing this creature wouldn't do to assure its mate's safety, and no ends it wouldn't seek to achieve her return affections.

He'd, personally, never known such an attachment to a woman – until now. Yes, he'd fallen for Rose back when they'd been kids, but that had been the immaturity of a young man's first infatuating love. After graduation, they'd parted ways and he hadn't seen her again, and he'd never grown that fond of any of the women he'd been with since. El had been the closest, but even that relationship had fallen short of real love. Rose had been absolutely right in her accusations that his adult life had been lived through a series of shallow one-offs. He wondered if it was because his Veela had already chosen a mate for him, and had somehow tainted him to forming bonds with other women…

_Of course it was, you moron,_ the Veela rolled its eyes at his stupidity. _I may have been forced to sleep during those years, but there was no way I was going to let you attach us to someone else._

The revelation was like a punch to Scorpius' gut. _What did you do to me?_ he angrily bit back, feeling quite manipulated by the thing that was supposed to be sharing his life, not abusing it.

His Veela seemed utterly unconcerned with his anxiousness. _Planted a suggestion in your head was all,_ it owned up with a mental shrug. '_Lust, not love.' Not for anyone but our Rose._

_You tricked me? You bast- _he started to curse his other side, but Rose's next words sidetracked his conversation with his other half.

"I'd forgotten that you're the same age as me and Scor," she admitted to the Veela, pulling her gaze from his hips to look down at the blanket in a clear attempt to regain some control. "Sometimes, you feel older than the two of us, and sometimes younger. Do you… have a name of your own?"

"I am Rose's mate," he pointedly stated, pushing off his hands and slowly crawling in a predatory glide towards her. "That's all that matters."

_Easy,_ Scorpius cautioned, watching Rose's eyes widen with growing trepidation and sensing his Veela's desires growing hotter the closer they came to her side. _Gentle._

_I know,_ it snapped, annoyed with him. _I'm not an idiot._ _I've been paying attention to your suggestions lately._

"Why me?" she whispered with some fear as he pulled up just shy of touching her. "I still don't understand why you chose me. You've been with so many others – much prettier, more feminine witches. I've seen the images in the society papers. And we fought _so much_ in school. We were really cruel to each other, then. Don't you remember? And… and… and I have plans for my future. I don't want a baby yet, but your Veela markings will force it. It just doesn't seem a… a _practical_ match to me - not at all. We don't like each other and we want different things."

"Tell me something, babe," he bid, speaking in an even tone, stopping just shy of melding them together, "why do you think Draco's Veela awoke early to mate your mother when they'd been children?"

Her brows lowered in defensive confusion at the sudden switch in topics. "What does that have to do with what we were just talking about?"

He tilted her chin up with two fingers, forcing her to meet his eye, and gave her an encouraging smile. "Humor me."

She bit her bottom lip again and Scorpius could feel the overwhelming lust roll through his and his Veela's senses once more. That small act caused him to wonder all sorts of things about how her teeth would feel marking his skin for the first time – her claim, which would brand his flesh for all time. He'd ensure she gave it to him during their first coupling, in the moment she orgasmed, right over his heart. He wanted her teeth imprinting there, where the skin was stretch taut over the muscle of his pectoral…

"Well, my best guess is because Mr. Malfoy's Veela wanted to breed before his host bit the big one."

His Veela cocked its head in that strange, bird-like gesture that it sometime adopted, and again, Scorpius wondered where that biologic trait derived. "Wouldn't any female have done, in such a case?" he queried her. "Draco had all that year to find one. So, why did he choose _your_ mother?"

Her rounded, left brow arched. "I think we've established that she was its prime candidate – hence their recent mating. Perhaps that was just the first and only chance it had to be alone with her. Really, how should I know? I wasn't there."

His head tilted in the opposite direction. "As a Veela, let me tell you what I think my father did: he most likely woke up early for two reasons – one, because he was afraid that he would never know the chance to love your mother if his host were killed by the Dark Lord, and two, because she'd come to him in great distress and he couldn't help but want to calm and reassure her. I'm guessing he used his magic on them both to break down the barriers between them so they could finally admit their feelings for each other and get to it. So, what's wrong with that? I would have done the same in his position."

_What are you doing? _Scorpius demanded of his internal beast. _Don't provoke a fight with her! She's in a relatively good mood, for once!_

Rose seemed conflicted. "I never thought of him – Mr. Malfoy's Veela - as your father, but he is in a way, isn't he? Even though you're derived from a magical curse, not heredity, it's still heredity that drives the curse." She shook her head. "How odd… and utterly confusing." Glimpsing at him through the fringe of her lashes, she seemed rather off-balance just then. "Veela lust magic too closely resembles the Imperius Curse, in my opinion. It's worse than cheating, bordering on rape."

She bit her bottom lip again, and he gently reached up and stroked the soft, pink skin with his thumb to call her attention to the small hurt she was doing to herself. Their eyes met, and the electric current of instant desire arced between them. The Veela inched closer, releasing his touch upon her chin and oh-so-lightly ran his fingers over her neck, across one bared shoulder and down her arm to her hand, as it grasped the blanket in a white-knuckled grip. "If I knew I only had one chance to make love to you, I'd take it, no matter the cost. I'd give anything to imprint upon your touch and your smell, to taste every inch of your perfect body and to know the feel of your soft pussy holding me tight as I mated with you."

"Did you not just hear what I said?" she argued, blushing scarlet as desire made her pupils widen and her breath hitch. "The Veela's magic took their choices away from them both. It forced them to desire sex, whether they actually wanted to or not."

Scorpius' Veela met her stare, unflinching. "What if I were to tell you that a male Veela _can't _take a woman for a mate who doesn't scent of lust for him, no matter his feelings for her? She must be equally attracted to him for there to be a connection. Does that change your opinion now – knowing that your mother wanted Draco Malfoy as equally as he wanted her?"

She dropped her gaze, but he followed with a dip of his head, holding her eye, refusing to let her escape the question. "Tell me your thoughts, mate," he requested, his voice like velvet darkness between them. "I value them."

Rose shrugged. "Alright, so deep down inside, they wanted to shag," she murmured, swallowing with growing nervousness. "Still, Veela lust magic is like Amortentia times a million. Even if my mum had wanted your dad, it didn't mean she'd intended upon acting on that desire – until the magic _forced_ her to do so. It stole her choice in the matter, and that's why it's wrong."

The Veela leaned forward and placed his mouth next to the shell of her ear, allowing his lips to graze the tender, peachy flesh. "Your mother _cared_ for Draco, Rose, and she sexually wanted him, and all _before_ his Veela woke up. I'm positive that it was those feelings that drew my father to the surface that night - not the other way around." He nipped her lobe, lapping over the small sting an instant later. She let out a husky moan that had his hips uncontrollably jerking and his sac tightening. Her body's clean, lightly floral scent, fresh from an earlier shower – coming through the dream, as he concentrated - pervaded his senses, kicking his cock from his normal state of erect whenever he was near her into demanding, hardened steel in less than a heartbeat's time. "The Veela reacted to her needs and desires, and to her distress. He awoke early to give her his comfort and love," he explained in a whisky-rough hum against her throat. "The only way he was able to do so was to share his powers with her – his lust."

Her lightly panting breath blasted across his neck, as she turned her face into his, cheek-to-cheek. "You're saying, that Veela magic is meant to - what?" she asked around a shudder of delight as he bit down very lightly over her pulse. "Enflame, not ensnare?"

Pulling her fully into his arms, the Veela bathed kisses up her throat to her ear again, whispering to her his darkest secrets. "Know this, mate of my heart: my father must have loved your mother a great deal to have done such a thing, for waking up early is an _excruciating_ experience. It's suffocating, scalding heat that you either push through or you drown. It's raw, choking pain, and every breath is fire and blood. And no matter the outcome, _none of you_ are ever the same again."

"How do you kn-?" she began, but he cut her off by capturing her lips in a heated kiss, unable to hold back his natural impulses any longer.

In that moment, Scorpius sensed his Veela's pain went deeper than even he understood, but the emotional barriers were back between them, and it was clear his bestial side would not discuss anything more on the issue with him. It nudged him to back off, in fact. Mentally giving in, he let them both experience their mate instead, taking comfort from her touch and presence, heightening the encounter for all involved with his willing participation.

With heated passion and a desperate longing, it didn't take long before he and Rose were practically crawling into each other's skins. Reckless tongues clashed, greedy hands grasped, hungry mouths ate and impulsive bodies strained, and this time, Scorpius wanted a front row seat on the action. He pushed forward so they could share the experience.

"Not smart," his witch warned in a hissing whisper around pulls of lips as he laid her back into the blanket. "This is… really not a good idea."

Scorpius and his Veela together countered by running a hand over her hip, following the curve of her waist and cupping her breast through the fabric of her silky dress. She gasped as he ground his erection into her belly at the same moment. "You want us, we want you," they murmured in one perfectly blended voice, enticing her by licking her swollen bottom lip. "No more denying it, baby."

She shivered and pushed her hips forward to rub against one of his solid thighs. "Scor, I-"

"Admit it," he cut her off, lapping at her lips. Kneeling between her legs, he gripped her hips, cupped her bum and pulled her up into him until he was cradled between her thighs, his hard length resting right where it belonged. "Admit you want us, mate."

Shaking in what he scented on the air as a combination of lust and fear, Rose grudgingly nodded. "Okay, yes, I want you!" she groaned as he bit over her throat again, careful not to Veela Mark, leaving only a small teeth imprint behind. "But this is crazy. I'm not supposed to-"

His Veela actually growled in warning, overtaking Scorpius' shared possession again for a moment. "You're my mate. You _are_ supposed to!" To prove his point, he smoothed the hem of her dress up over her hips, leaving only the thin scrap of her knickers and his clothing to serve as barrier between them. Reaching between them, he stroked her first over, then under her satin panties, pushing them to the side. Her cunt was soaking wet, slick with liquid heat. "Desiring each other is what we are fated to do, Rose. You feel it, just as I do. See?" He pressed his fingers through the slit, gathering the heaven-scented proof of her arousal and smeared it all up and down, rubbing it in circles over her clit, even as he continued attacking the delicate skin at her neck. She gasped, and dug her nails into his biceps, clearly turned-on by his aggressive need. "You're so wet for me. I could mount you right now and just slide in without any resistance." He could feel the muscles of her backside tense up as he rimmed the entrance to her vagina, preparing to push a finger inside. "Would you like that, mate - me fucking this snug, little pussy deep and strong, and filling you up as no one ever has?" He brought his lips to hers and buzzed across them, looking her in the eye. "Say the word, and I'm yours."

"It's just sex," she stammered, her breath catching, staring up at him with wide, fearful eyes. "Y-you've had this with so many others-"

"_I _haven't," the Veela countered, cutting her off, insinuating that it was its host with the notch count, and that the Veela was innocent of her accusation of slagging about with other women.

_You… I can't believe you just said that! _Scorpius was stunned by the betrayal.

_It's true, though, isn't it? _his Veela retorted. _You were the one slagging around with that Nott witch – and those other women all these years._

_But you knew! You were right there, watching the whole time! You experienced the sex right along with me, and you never said anything, _Scorpius contradicted. _Hell, you could have stopped me with Eleri, if you'd really wanted, and we both know it._ _What kind of game are you playing at?_

The Veela didn't reply, tuning him out and concentrating fully upon its mate. He thrust his finger into her, parting the silky, creamy channel and then held perfectly still, reveling in the tightening of her inner muscles about him. "Only _you_ make me want until I'm crazed, my pretty mate. No other woman makes me react this way."

He struggled with the buttons on his jeans with his free hand, tearing them open. Wearing no pants underneath, he shoved the coarse material aside and gripped her wrist, bringing it to the source of his need. When her smooth palm ran over his dripping erection, and her fingers curled around the width, hot lust slammed into his gut, boiling his blood and inching him towards climax. His sac grew heavy and burned with the need for release. He groaned and flared his wings wide, stretching them to their limits. "Yes, touch me my mate, _please_," he begged, beginning a smooth rhythm with the hand embedded in her, inserting a second finger to join the first. His thumb brushed her clit in a gentle, circular pattern as he rubbed against the sensitive upper lip of her channel, right against the spot he knew would stimulate her orgasm.

Rose moaned and began swaying her hips in time to his thrusts. "Kiss me," she pleaded as her strong hand began stroking his thick, throbbing cock. "I need you to kiss me."

He leaned down, but hovered over her mouth, not yet pressing them together. "Admit it, mate. This feels good between us – and all without Veela tricks. This is just you and me."

_Us,_ Scorpius angrily countered and used a tremendous amount of energy to push forward to share the body once more. "Us, all together," he forcibly corrected, becoming irate with his Veela, who seemed to be trying to undermine his part in this mating.

_Whatever you're doing, stop it,_ he demanded of the creature he shared his life with. _You'll ruin this for the both of us. She doesn't trust you like she does me._

He could feel his Veela's irritation at that truth and its reluctant yielding to the idea of them working together.

Dropping their mouth to hers, Scorpius and his Veela again captured her lips in a combined scorching kiss, thrusting their hips to meet her hand's downward strokes at the same time as plunging their fingers into her and stretching wide in a scissoring motion that had Rose wailing with pleasure. Her hand on his penis sped up, and her thumb stroked over his very sensitive knob on every upward pull.

Rationally, Scorpius knew this was only a dream – but to his five senses, it felt so undeniably real that as soon as their tongues twined about each other and her thumb caressed him over his weeping slit, he orgasmed with a surge of his hips, unable to control his release. Hot, shimmering semen splashed across her hand, dripped down her wrist, to land upon her inner thigh. "Rose," he moaned into her mouth as his body shuddered, continuing to spurt more ejaculate again, and again, and… oh, fuck, again! "Baby, oh _yeah!_" he groaned with pleasure, thrusting his fingers into her harder. His witch arched her spine, crying out at the heightened stimulation. "Come for us, mate. Come."

Riding his hand with abandon, she let his cock go to wrap her arms about his neck, all of her lower muscles drawn tight and trembling. "Scor! I need more. I can't… can't reach it…"

"You can," he breathed against her lips, meeting her eyes. "Trust us."

He removed his hands from her and slid down her body, tearing her thong to shreds with a yank and pulling it off. Widening her thighs, he got his first glance at her pretty, soft petals. They were bare, with only a bit of trimmed curl residing at the top of her slit. And they were covered with her juices. Dipping right in, he lathed a path from the bottom of her divide all the way to the top, flickering under her soft clit and circling it. She tasted and smelled of rain and the ocean and sunlight and spring all mixed up together to create her own unique musk. It intoxicated him as nothing ever had, and he delved in to feast.

"Oh, Circe!" she cried, her voice filled with tears, her fingers shoving into his hair and holding on. Her legs quivered with a mounting thrill that could not be denied as he bathed her cunnie with his tongue, sucking upon the velvety lips with gently pressurized pulls. Lapping around her entrance to her sacred womb, licking through the slick slide of her silky moisture, he drew her delicious cream up and over her beautiful pussy, wildly smearing his cheeks and chin with her essence.

Gods Above, if only this was real! The dream made it safe for both of them to experiment, and it reflected reality as much as possible, but it still wasn't truly Rose that he was eating out. This was a pale reflection of the real deal, and although he doubted very much that at this point if she'd let him touch her this way if they were really face-to-face, he would take what he could get in the here and now and count himself lucky.

"I'm afraid of letting go," she whimpered around a small sob, trying to pull his head away. "It's too much, too fast."

_We need to slow the pace a bit,_ Scorpius advised. _We're scaring her._

_No, I need to mark her - tonight!_ the Veela whined, its whole being vibrating with violent need. _I need to!_

_Rein yourself in, _he forcibly commanded, having had enough of his other half's irrational behavior. _You heard her earlier: using Veela magic without her consent is like rape to her. She'll hate us – hate you especially._

Mentally, he felt the Veela grit its teeth.

_What's gotten into you tonight?_ he asked, concerned. This was not the ordinary amount of whinging and irritation he'd grown accustomed to since they'd first been 'introduced' on the night of his birthday. Something was really festering in his Veela's psyche, causing it to behave badly.

The Veela silently fumed, reluctant to say.

_Work with me for now, _he coaxed his other half. _We'll talk later. Unless, of course, you don't mind me making her come - all on my own, without you?_

His beast internally roared at the challenge and together, they brought Rose screaming to the edge of blissful insanity.

Urging her legs higher, he placed her pretty feet upon his shoulders and opened her up wide. Tunneling inside her opening, he stroked her with his tongue in very slow, purposeful rhythmic pulses, curling the tip upwards upon each withdrawal right at that one spot where the skin texture was a bit rougher, stroking over it and making her shiver in response. High, tight little mewling cries escaped her lips and her fingernails tightened in his hair, gripping hard.

Her honey flowed across his tongue as her inner muscles clenched around his surging invasion. He pushed her higher, hotter with incrementally increasing thrusts, while working two hands in two different directions – one to rub sensuously over her tiny clit, the other to gather her juices and rim her tiny, sensitive back entrance. He massaged both while his tongue fucked inside her pussy, bringing her closer towards that wave of light and heat.

"Rose, look at us," Scorpius and his Veela commanded, wanting to see her eyes as she came.

Drowning in the depths of her blue ocean gaze, he drew up the length of her seam, latching onto her tiny nub at the top and suckling. Her shaking body teetered on the edge, tightened up. "Oh God, I'm coming!" she wailed, throwing her head back and squeezing her eyes tight. "Yes, _yes!_" she screamed, and fell under the spell of his bringing.

Thrusting his tongue back into her, he experienced the rippling of her cunt across his sensitive pink length, and tasted the froth of her delicious silken cream. Her low moan was drawn out from the depths of her soul as her satisfaction was finally met. This was heaven – bringing her sexual gratification, tasting the honey of success, knowing he'd thoroughly fulfilled her.

When her tired body relaxed and her limbs went limp, Scorpius climbed up her form and gently kissed her, pouring his whole heart into letting her know that he loved her. And he did. He loved her, despite their disagreements, and her stubbornness, and his arrogance. Theirs would be a tempestuous relationship, but he had no doubt that he could make it work – if only he could win her heart. "Did you like that, baby?" he whispered around light kisses, stroking her hair back from her sweaty brow and over her ear, down her neck. He couldn't stop touching her.

Slumberous lids raised and a lazy stare met his, even as her lips lifted with teasing. "It was adequate."

"Adequate?" the Veela growled, coming forward to establish primacy. "It was only my first time doing that, babe, and you came damned hard. Give me some credit."

She blinked several times, before she understood his meaning. Her eyes widened. "Oh, Circe! You're a virgin, aren't you? You, the Veela - not Scorpius, obviously."

He tilted his head in that odd raptorish manner. "Technically, yes. I've been with Scorpius during his… previous relationships… so I could watch and learn what to do, but never alone with a woman. Not until you."

Her cheeks, already painted crimson from their earlier exertions grew brighter. "I've never been with a virgin before."

He stared at her, and Scorpius waited, feeling a strange pang in his chest at the thought that he hadn't been able to give that part to Rose back when they'd been kids. In truth, he was a bit envious that his Veela would have that opportunity... Bloody hell, he was jealous of his Veela! And he didn't like the way Rose was looking at him right then, as if she were coming to understand something about his other half that changed everything she'd believed before.

Her fingers caressed his cheek, and the Veela turned into that touch as if it were a gift. "I need you, my mate," he sighed. "I can't help wanting to Mark you. It's so powerful an instinct."

"Give me time," she earnestly requested. "If… _if _we get to know each other better, then maybe… But, I like what we've done tonight. Can't we ease into it like this? I'm inclined to try it, if you are."

His eyes widened and he flexed his shoulders, giving his wings their freedom again. "Are you accepting the mating then?"

She swallowed and bit her bottom lip again, her expression uneasy. "I'm adjusting to the idea, but please give me more time. We've rushed this. I want to get to know you both better."

Scorpius used the Veela's momentary disappointment to share the body again. "We'll wait for you for as long as we can. But Rose, don't take too long," he cautioned, tenderly stroking her face. "The instinct to mate you grows stronger every day. It's… almost like living with perpetual fear and sexual need combined. It's painful."

A crease appeared between her brows. "Fear? Why?"

_Shut the fuck up, boy-o,_ his Veela viciously snarled with fury. _You open that door, and she'll know how to get out of this mating! I won't give her up to any other. She's mine!_

_You're underestimating her, _Scorpius calmly debated. _She's a former Ravenclaw – which means she can think several steps ahead at any given time. She knows about the Three Marks already from her mother. She's bound to put it together that the point of the First Mark is to claim her, so other Veela can't challenge the mating, and without it, she's vulnerable and not truly ours. I don't doubt she already knows this or won't come to understand it soon enough._

_Let me Mark her then, _the Veela insisted.

_No, _Scorpius countered. _Not without her permission. She'll hate us if you force it. You heard her – forcing her with Veela magic is the one thing she'll never forgive. And you need my willing acquiescence for the Three Marks to take anyway. Without us working together, they won't stick. That's the way this works. Just... give her the time she's asking for. We can afford it. There aren't any unmated male Veela around, so there's no immediate rush. Calm the fuck down, already._

His Veela seethed, but couldn't refute the facts so it stayed back, allowing Scorpius to take control of his body to avoid acting on its compulsions. He could feel its mounting frustration and anger, and knew it needed a time-out.

"Scor?"

She drew him back to the here and now. Exhaustion pulled at him, as well. It was almost time to call it quits for the night.

"Sorry," he apologized, feeling the Veela transformation reverse itself until he was just a man in his own body once more. "He's too excited to show all of his love for you at once. It's a little overwhelming at times."

Her shy smile beguiled him. "I admit he's growing on me. I didn't think it was possible. Something inside of me has been frightened of him from the get-go, even before we met, when my mum and your dad explained our mating that day at the Tea Shoppe. But lately, that feeling is slowly starting to fade. I think it's possible to like him."

Scorpius kissed her, needing to reassert his part in their relationship, not liking how interested she seemed in his Veela more than in him. It was a sweet kiss, imparting _his_ feelings for her - the ones he housed for her alone, without his beast's input.

Rolling off of her and pulling them so they were on their sides instead, facing each other, he fixed her dress back over her thighs. "I know this whole mating thing has buggered up your life, Rose, and I'm sorry for causing you so much distress. But I want you to know that I'm thankful for every second you give us." Tucking his tired penis into his jeans, he buttoned back up. "We'll work together, he and I, to give you the time you ask for, and I'll do what I can to help you feel more at ease with the Veela. I want you to like us both, to like our touches, and to enjoy being courted by us. I want only pleasure for you. I hope you believe that."

Snuggling close, they lay there for a while in silence, each lost in their own thoughts as they took in the other. Rose's head was cradled upon his arm and her hand rested upon his hip, and all he could think in that moment was that he was glad she'd been his chosen mate, no matter their differences and difficulties. She was everything he could ever want in a wife, too.

"Can I tell you something without it going to your head?" she asked.

"Of course."

Between one beat and the next, her cerulean gaze glinted with mischief and her cheeks bloomed berry-ripe once more. "I'd heard the rumors around about your size, but… _wow_." Her grin was Cheshire Cat-worthy. "You're packing a monster there."

Scorpius laughed, feeling his face light-up with embarrassment. "Like it, do you?"

Glancing at him with a sultry come-hither look, she angled her face closer, practically purring with renewed sexual interest. "Yeah, I do."

They kissed, their arms going about each other, and it was the first time she'd initiated contact. His heart sang with joy, and his Veela was temporarily reassured and pleased.

"Sweet dreams, baby," he whispered against her lips.

Scorpius let go of the dream, ending it on that perfect note.

**X~~~X**

Waking up in his bed, he felt more fatigued than ever before. Pulling Rose out of the nightmare and then sustaining such an intense dream had done him in. His Veela was already settling down for roosting, its mental energies even more depleted, as it had done most of the work rescuing their mate from her internal torments, and then sustaining the magic for the dream-walking.

And yet, despite how tired his brain was, Scorpius could not find immediate rest. His mind whirled over everything that had happened, and worry beat behind his eyelids. What was going on with his other half? Why had it been so angry at him, and then tried to undermine his position in Rose's eyes? That shouldn't be possible. Veela were supposed to work with their host towards attaining their mate's acceptance.

As for Rose's feelings... what would happen if she started to fall for the beast more than the man? Could that even happen? To his dismay, he had the impression that if things repeated as they had tonight, such a thing might be possible, seeing as how his Veela was establishing itself as a separate entity from him. That _seriously_ worried him.

He vowed to speak with his father about it immediately after a short nap.

* * *

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

**Please review!**


	11. Chapter 9 ASIDE: 2nd Second Chance

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Thank you once more to the fabulous 'Unseenlibrarian' for beta-ing this chapter and providing excellent insight into characterizations and plot furtherance! Without your help, lady, I'd have been in a rut with this one. :)**

**Dearest readers: PLEASE REVIEW - and remember to thank 'Unseenlibrarian' for her help with this story! She's been monumental in the effort, believe me!**

* * *

_**CHAPTER 9A: 2ND SECOND CHANCE**_

_**Wednesday, July 9th, 2031 (late-morning)**_

Rose paused with her hand raised to rap on Eleri's door, and shored up her courage. This visit was necessary. Confronting her friend on her affair with Scorpius was important, if for no other reason than to address the issue of El's betrayal.

The two women had been good friends from the very start of their Hogwarts adventures. They'd shared first year Potions class together; Eleri had generously offered to divide up her ingredients when Rose had accidentally taken one less rat tail than required. They'd both flunked the lesson, as they'd halved the tail, thus making both of their potions inert, but it had cemented their friendship. From that point forward, they'd hung out, studied together, crossing House lines to sit with each other at meals and in the library and in the classroom. In many ways, Rose considered El a sister.

But was such a close connection enough for them to work through the issue of Scorpius coming between them?

Sighing, she considered the problem in a very rational and logical manner, as her Ravenclaw brain was wont to do when faced with an issue of such great magnitude…

On the one hand, did she feel sympathy for her friend, who was clearly torn up by the fact that Rose was going to end up mated to the man she loved? Yes. If the situation were reversed, Rose thought she might be devastated by it. She wasn't sure she'd be able to watch her guy marry her best friend. It would kill something inside of her.

On the other hand, did she accept that Eleri had gone behind her back to not only sleep with her Veela mate (fully accepted or not), but to also snitch on her to Malfoy? No. That was a betrayal of trust that ran deep. Some things, no matter the reason, were not so easily forgiven and needed to be addressed.

Rose kept that reminder at the forefront of her thoughts as she brought her fist down and knocked three times. Nervously, she straightened her clothing, waiting.

After several minutes and no answer, she knocked again.

The light through the peephole was blocked for an instant, then she heard the door's lock turn, and the portal opened…

Eleri looked horrid. Her usually immaculate hair – that long, beautiful, raven-soft curtain that had been the woman's pride and joy – had been hacked up by haphazard scissoring. It was now very short. Actually, it might more accurately be deemed 'butchered'. Her eyes were red-rimmed and dark-circled, and the tracks of salty tears were clear upon her pale cheeks. She wore too-big, raggedy, stained clothing – something that her friend might wear while painting one of her famous masterpieces.

Rose took in the sight of what her friend had become and her heart dropped out of her.

"El, what have you done?" she asked, tears wavering before her eyes, her voice catching. A resigned despair such as she had never seen was reflected in Eleri's face; her lavender-coloured eyes drowned in it. Rose hesitantly moved into the flat, forcing her friend to step back and let her in.

If she'd been surprised before, it was nothing to what she felt when she took in the state of the apartment. It looked like the storm of the century had blown through. Furniture was overturned, books scattered over every surface, El's art – her hand-made sculptures and paintings – were broken, and shards of glass decorated the hardwood floor. Trails of blood and shorn hair made a path from where Rose knew the loo to be to the front door. Her eyes followed to land on Eleri's feet.

"Merlin and Morgana!" she cried out, noting the pooling blood. "You're… El… you…" She shook her head. "This is too much."

With a wave of her wand and a serious mental push of her magic, she required the room to repair itself. Furniture turned upright, glass reassembled, books returned to their homes on shelves, and all of that beautiful art was restored to its original glory. With another wave, she cleaned up the blood and hair, _Scourgify_-ing the stains from the large rug in the middle of the living area and from the floor. Pushing her friend against the door, closing it at the same time, she bent and lifted one foot after the other, healing the wounds made by walking over the shattered glass. She then bandaged them.

When she was done, she looked up into her friend's face.

_This is what real heartbreak looks like_, she thought, dread pitting her stomach. She'd thought her sorrow over losing Corwin was great, but this was nothing she'd ever personally experienced before. Eleri had truly loved Scorpius, hadn't she?

She pulled her friend into a hug. "It's going to be alright," she whispered, closing her eyes and holding on. "I still love you. We can talk about this, can't we?"

Eleri's body began shaking, and then she was clinging onto Rose and wailing against her shoulder.

It was at least twenty minutes before the sobbing calmed, and another few minutes before either woman was in any shape to look at the other. They pulled apart.

"You've made quite a mess of things," she gently chided her friend, running fingertips over El's shorn hair. "But don't worry, we can fix it." There was a double-meaning there, and when she met her friend's gaze, she knew the other witch understood.

Rose took Eleri's hand and led her to a barstool that stood by the island in the middle of the kitchen-slash-living area of the open flat. She directed her friend to take a seat, and then marched into the adjoining bathroom to find a pair of scissors, a towel and a comb. Thank the Founders Hugo had always insisted that Rose go back over the haircuts her mum would give him when they'd been children, as it had taught her how to fix a messy, ugly cut right up.

As she came back to El's side, she draped the towel over her friend's shoulders. She then strode into the kitchen to pour a pot full of water and dipped in the comb. Bringing it back to her impromptu barber chair, she wet down El's hair and began cutting.

"Pixie cuts are all the rage now," she tried to downplay the disaster. "You're lucky that with your face shape and cute nose, you can get away with it. I would look a fright with one."

The clipping sound of the scissors was loud as she fell into silence to concentrate on her task, and El did not fill it with chatter. The woman just sat there like she didn't care what became of her or her hair. When Rose came around the front, she surveyed the damage. Internally, she winced. "I think we should flip your part to the right side to make the bangs look even." She demonstrated by combing the bangs in the direction she wanted to go and nodded. "Yeah, that looks good."

As she raised the scissors to trim up some hair around El's ear, her friend finally spoke.

"You're angry with me."

Rose paused. No sense in lying. "Yes."

Those iris-coloured eyes flickered to her face. "I'm sorry for being so selfish and for betraying your confidence."

Lowering the scissors and the comb, Rose met her stare. "You love him." It was a statement, not a question.

Eleri nodded once. "From the first moment I saw him."

Rose's hands began shaking. How had she never noticed something as important as her friend's love interest in all the years since she and El had first met? Had she truly been _that _wrapped up in her own life?

"You could have told me."

Her companion took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Where do you want me to start?"

"From the beginning… but after I finish your hair, alright?"

"Okay."

Rose made quick work of tidying-up Eleri's new hairstyle. Given what she'd had to start with, she thought it had come out quite well. The new style made her friend look chic, like some _haute couteur_ runway model. She ran to the loo and grabbed a cosmetic hand-mirror, showing off the change with a "ta-da!"

Eleri reached up and touched the side. Her lower lip trembled, but a moment later she sniffed back the threatening tears, raised her chin and nodded. "I like it. It's much lighter this way. I look…"

"French," Rose supplied with a grin. "Now all you have to do is pick-up social smoking and eat a single leaf of lettuce every day, and you'll have the fashion down pat."

Her friend's lips twitched as she fought off a smirk. She grew almost immediately somber again. "Ten years. Scorpius and I have been together for ten years, off and on. He was my first, my only until… um, just before graduation." Her cheeks pinked with a private memory, and Rose wondered who the other man was that had charmed her friend during the last days of their schooling. "I slept with others after that to try to let him go, but Scor has a way of charming a girl. I could never say 'no' to him."

Rose blushed. She understood the man's charm all too well, and had fallen for it more than a few times already.

"No matter whether I was in a relationship with someone else or not, whenever _he_ came around, my door opened to him," Eleri continued. "Each time he showed up on my stoop, I hoped that Scor would come right out and tell me that I was 'The One' for him. But… that never happened. And then when he confessed to me that he was a Veela and you were his mate-" She bit her bottom lip and sniffled again. "I tried to play it cool, offered him advice on how to win you… and a deal to continue seeing me until he'd won your compliance. I made it seem that I was only into him for the sex." She gave a bitter-slash-wistful smirk. "It was the performance of my life. But… but I couldn't keep it up. Each time we met, it got harder and harder to fake the façade. He talked about you incessantly when we were together, and I knew…" She sighed. "He's always loved you, Rose. I've known that for almost as long as I've known him. He could never take his eyes off of you, from first year onward. I just never believed there _wasn't_ a chance for he and I… until yesterday when he came here to tell me that we were really through."

The idea that Scorpius Malfoy had cared for her throughout their school days still sat like oil in Rose's guts. She hadn't seen _that_ either. How blind had she really been to the universe outside of her little sphere of interest?

Eleri's gaze returned to the mirror. She touched her shortened hair again, running fingers through it to familiarize herself with the tactile sensation. "Thank you," she whispered, and shut her eyes. "Thank you for saving me from myself."

Placing the mirror on the countertop of the island, Rose reached out and grabbed her friend's hand. "I recall a certain night in fourth year when you snuck into the Hospital Wing to stay with me after my very first Quidditch match. I was on the verge of quitting after having had both of my legs broken and my jaw dislocated by Gryffindor's beater that afternoon. Remember that?" Eleri nodded and huffed out a sad laugh. "You talked me down, El. If not for that, I wouldn't be playing for the Harpies today. And then there was a certain incident in seventh year involving alcohol and Malfoy. I can't remember it, but you kept my secret so I wouldn't be embarrassed by it. You saved me from myself both times. It's what friends do for each other."

"How can you still call me that, after what I've done?" her companion cried, pulling her hand away and putting it and its mate up over her eyes to hide them away in shame. "I betrayed you. I cheated with your fiancé-"

Rose took a step back, shocked at that thought. "Wha-? No, no. Scor is _not _my fiancé!"

Eleri wiped at her tear-filled eyes. "He's your Veela mate. You have to marry him by law. You're the bride, he's your groom. 'Til death do you part."

The truth of El's words made Rose's stomach drop into her shoes. Rowena's Bane, she _was_ affianced, wasn't she? Oh Merlin…

"I deceived you. I was disloyal," the other witch continued. "I'm so sorry, Rose. So, _so_ sorry!" She burst into another round of tears. "My only excuse… no, it's not even that, it's just an explanation: I've loved him from the first time he said 'hello' to me. I love him until I want to _die _from these feelings." She hopped off the stool and backed up until she pressed into the opposite wall. "And you said you didn't want him, and that you were going to try to find a way to break the mating. I thought that maybe I could still have a little bit more of him… just until you finally accepted the truth. I was never going to let it go further than that, no matter what was offered. It was totally selfish, I know. I _know_ how horrible I am, but… _God_…" she clutched the area over her heart and slid to the floor, sobbing. "I love him! Why didn't he pick me for his mate? Why didn't he want me after everything we've shared? What's wrong with me?"

Listening to the pain in her friend's voice broke Rose's heart. She literally cried for Eleri's suffering.

"I'm sorry too, El," she admitted around a choked sob and knelt at her friend's feet. "Sorry that I took this from you without ever meaning to. Sorry that I never noticed your feelings for him. Sorry that you're hurting." Rose reached out and took Eleri's hands in hers. "I feel so awful. You're one of my best friends, and yet I didn't even see this coming. How could I have missed something this important for ten long years?" She shook her head. "I know how: I was too wrapped up in my own life to notice. Too caught up in the pathetic adventure of Miss Rose Eleanor Weasley, that's how." She bent forward and touched Eleri's forehead with her own. "I'm so sorry for all of it."

Eleri hugged Rose again and the two women cried over each others' plight and for the hurt they'd done each other.

An hour later, they were off the floor at Rose's instigation, and into the magicked freezer, pulling out some of Florean Fortescue's raspberry-strawberry sorbet. Since the man's death during the Second Wizarding War, his nephew had taken over the business and expanded it to include new ice cream and sorbets of every flavor, pastries and cake slices, as well as coffees and teas from all over the world. He'd also adopted the Muggle invention of take-away pints for the frozen treats, which in Rose's opinion, had been a brilliant business decision, as it allowed her and her friends to enjoy such yummy desserts in the comfort of their homes, if they wished.

And every witch worth her hide knew that nothing cured heartache faster than sharing ice cream (or in this case, sorbet, since Eleri was lactose intolerant).

The two women helped themselves to generous portions of the berry treat and then sat on the sofa and talked all about Scorpius. They shared secrets and Eleri offered her advice on how to best go about the whole mating game. Some hard truths had come out in-between, too.

"So, you do care for him?"

Rose felt skewered on Eleri's knowing gaze. She took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm beginning to… more than care for him, I think. I'm actually beginning to like him and his Veela, even trust them both a little."

Eleri snorted around a spoonful of dark crimson-flavoured ice. "Sounds like more than a little to me. You said you let him go down on you _and_ you wanked him off. Rose, you're a prude by nature, so there's no way you would have done such a thing if you didn't trust him more than a little bit."

Caught in the web of truth, Rose sighed. "It's just lust, though."

Her friend's indigo-lavender eyes stared straight into her soul. "Is it? You were obsessed with each other in school. Ever wonder why that was?"

Rose bit her bottom lip.

"I'll tell you why," El continued on, pointing her spoon at her. "Because he's devilishly smart, sinfully handsome, and he doesn't let you bowl him over without paying for it. He gives you as good as he gets from you, and he never backs down from a challenge. You respect him for it. He's your equal in every way." She dipped into her pudding again, blushing once more. "Unlike Corwin, who's certainly handsome, somewhat intelligent and definitely loyal, but seems easily dissuaded, despite being a former Gryffindor."

Rose considered her friend's words as she shoveled another spoonful of her own dessert into her mouth.

"Besides, Scor's cock is huge and he tastes fantastic. You know you want to suck it."

Raspberry-strawberry was spewed all over the floor. Rose continued coughing, even as her friend kept talking, pretending she hadn't just shocked the shite out of her.

"And he knows how to fuck better than any guy I've ever been with. He does this thing with his hips as he enters you…"

"Okay, I get the picture," Rose choked, her face flaming red. "Unfortunately, I really do."

And she did. She'd been envisioning sex with Scorpius since she woke up that morning. In fact, she'd gotten herself off in her bed to thoughts of him. It had been the first real-life orgasm she'd experienced in almost a week, and it had left her thoroughly sated and floating on air. She'd even hummed in the shower afterwards as she washed up.

"The point is," Eleri relentlessly continued, "you're obviously sexually compatible without the Veela thing going on, from how you tell it. And because he's your mate, you know he won't ever physically hurt you. That's a good basis for a start. All you have to concern yourself with is-"

"Being crushed emotionally by him," she interrupted her friend. "I'm afraid to end up like Daneetzah."

Eleri gave her a curious look. "Who's that?"

Rose imparted the story that Scor had told her of the female Veela who had damned the entire Malfoy line because her mate had abused her so terribly. Her friend was silent the whole time, listening and learning, cataloguing the facts and turning them over in her mind. When Rose finished, El shook her head.

"Different thing entirely, Rose," her companion debated. "Daneetzah was the Veela in that story. It was her mate who had all the power over them, despite her claim. He was the one who hurt her, not the other way around."

That thought stopped Rose cold.

"That… that's true, isn't it?" she murmured in dawning understanding. "It was the mate who held all the cards in their relationship. Theodosis was able to resist the Veela's draw by the power of his magical will."

Eleri shook her head. "Rose, I don't think that's a good idea to try. You and Scor… you were meant to be together from the start, don't you get that yet? Even Ihave to admit it. You're soul mates."

"Then why was he with you for all of these years?" Rose argued. "If I was meant to be his all along, we would have gotten together much earlier than this, don't you think?"

"But you _were_ together before now!" Eleri disputed. "In seventh year - don't you remember? You shagged him the night after N.E.W.T.s were done, during the party where everyone got three sheets-to-the-wind pissed."

Rose felt the pit of her stomach drop out. "We… no, we didn't shag then. We fooled around, but there was no penetration."

Her friend looked at her with remorse and pity. "Actually, you did, Rose. The two of you were down in the dungeon, against a wall, snogging pretty heavily. You couldn't keep your hands or mouths off each other. It was seriously intense. I knew it was inevitable: not more than ten minutes into it, he asked you if you want to shag, and you said 'yes,' so he lifted your skirt, took down your knickers, and had you right there against the wall. Honestly, Rose, you were on-board for every minute of it."

Eleri's gaze dropped to her lap, her melting sorbet forgotten in its bowl for the moment.

"I was hiding around the corner, having followed you two from the party," she admitted. "I was insanely jealous that he'd finally gotten up the nerve to make his move on you, but I couldn't seem to help myself as I trailed after him. I saw it all. You shagged and he took your virginity. When I heard him shout out that he loved you as he came, well, that's when I hurried away. It was too painful to hear anymore…" She sniffed and cleared her throat. "Macmillan saw me running up from the dungeons and caught me in the Entrance Hall, demanding to know why I was crying. I refused to tell him, and ran past him up to…"

Her eyes went glassy with memories, and her cheeks roughed.

"I went to the Room of Requirement. To… to think for a while."

Her blush spread down her throat, her eyelids fluttered, and she swallowed heavily, as if the memories of that night haunted her for some reason.

Rose put a steadying hand on her friend's shoulder. "El?"

Shaking herself out of her reverie, she gave Rose an apologetic smile. "Sorry. Anyway, I think that's why Macmillan ended up in the dungeon that night. He must have gone down to find out what had upset me, and caught you and Scor gearing up for round-two."

Rose's mind was a cacophony of buzzing noise and her heart raced under her ribs. "I don't remember any of it. Why didn't you tell me?"

Eleri sighed. "Because once Alicia, Lucy, Shannon and Holly approached me and told me that Macmillan knew all about your little tryst, but that you seemed to have no memory of the event, we all made a pact never to tell you. We didn't want you to be any more humiliated by something that had the potential to really hurt you." She fiddled with the spoon in her hand. "The others seemed to know only what Marshall had told them of the situation: that he had caught you wanking Scor off. But I knew how far you'd really gone before he'd ever arrived on the scene to break you two up that night. I kept my mouth closed to protect you. I've never told a soul until now."

Touching her forehead, Rose tried in vain to remember, but a wall existed in her memories from that night. She didn't even remember the party or drinking Zabini's contraband alcohol. It was as if that entire night was a complete blank spot in her head – like the memory had been…

"Son of a bitch, he _Obliviate_'d me, didn't he?" she whispered, horrified.

Eleri gently gripped Rose's arm. "Don't make assumptions."

Rose shook her head. "Then why don't I remember any of that night? I don't remember attending the party, or drinking, or going with him into the dungeons, much less fucking him. I don't remember how I got back to my dorm room, or falling asleep that night. All I remember was waking up the next morning in bed. I was in my pyjamas and felt like I'd slept well. No hangover. I should have been hurting the next day if I'd consumed so much alcohol, right? So why wasn't I?"

Her friend's dark head shook back and forth. "I don't know, Rosie. Maybe you took a hangover potion the night before, when you got back to the dorms. As for losing those memories, well, you could easily have _Obliviate_'d yourself once you got back to your room because you were embarrassed. Or maybe you hit your head really hard on something and lost some temporary memory. Anything is possible. Don't accuse Scor until you know for a fact."

"And how am I supposed to do that? Walk right up to him and ask?" Rose demanded, angry and exasperated. If that no good bastard had fucked her as Eleri said, she'd kill him!

Eleri tilted her head a bit. "Maybe that's exactly what you should do – only, not so accusatory."

Rose made her feet and stalked into El's kitchen, washing up her dish and spoon, letting her mind wander over scenarios to determine a solid course of action. "I think you're right," she finally concluded, turning off the water and looking up at her friend, who walked into the kitchen, her posture and expression very cautious. "I think it's time Scor and I had a true heart-to-heart and aired everything – from first year to now. I want the truth, and if he's hiding it from me…"

"Maybe he forgot, too?" Eleri offered. "Give him the benefit of the doubt either way, Rose."

Rose took a deep breath and let it out nice and slow, letting the storm of her emotions pass over her and regaining her calm center. "Right, I'll just see him tonight in the dreams, most likely. We'll chat then."

Eleri gave her a small smile. "A month ago, you'd have blown your fuse and marched off to find Malfoy, hexing him six ways from Sunday before he could open his mouth. This new you… I like her. She's definitely more Slytherin."

Squaring her shoulders, Rose gave her friend a wry smirk. "It seems we've both turned a corner today."

Her companion nodded. "Looks like. Question is: where do we go from here?"

Reaching out, Rose took El's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm not sure, but as long as we stick together, we'll make it."

Her friend laced their fingers together and nodded. "Thank you for giving me a second chance."

Rose shook her head. "You, too."

"Do me a favour," El pressed, "and try to be this forgiving if Scor turns out to disappoint you, too. I'm absolutely positive that he's mad for you. If he did _Obliviate_ you, he has to have had a good reason."

Rose's smile dropped, and sadness gripped her chest. "Do you really think so?"

Because, truly, how could Malfoy say he loved her if he was willing to steal away pieces of her very soul?

* * *

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	12. Chapter 10: Casualty of Memory

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**An **_**eyas**_** is a young hawk or falcon taken from the nest early. For the sake of this fic, I have decided to use it as a term for a 'young Veela' – one who is within the three year span after his first ritual (the Veela's host would be 25-28 yrs. old). **

**Thank you once more to the masterful, Unseenlibrarian, who beta'd this chapter and gave me some solid plot points to consider. This story wouldn't be nearly as polished without her. She is a miracle worker! Folks, please remember to thank her in your reviews, too, yeah?**

* * *

_**CHAPTER 10: CASUALTY OF MEMORY**_

_**Wednesday, July 9**__**th**__**, 2031 (morning – late afternoon)**_

The first thing Scorpius did after waking, dressing and grabbing a quick bite, was seek out his father. He and his grandfather were in the study, going over company issues.

"I need to speak with you both. It's about the Veela and my mating, and I don't think it can wait."

Immediately, his father put his papers down on the desk and turned his full attention to his son. "Let's go for a walk outside, then. It'll be good to get out of this house for a while – for all of us." He glanced over his shoulder at his father.

Scorpius glanced at his grand-_père_, who merely nodded to the request.

Honestly, the idea of his father's father participating in such a personal chat didn't sit well with Scorpius. It wasn't that he hated the Malfoy patriarch, per se, but the man was extremely hard, unforgiving, and rather cold. His tongue was sharp and could be very cruel. His civility and concern, when they put in a rare appearance, felt entirely disingenuous, as if he was performing a part that society required of him. In all truth, Scorpius doubted he'd ever seen or spoken with the 'real' Lucius, and he'd never been close to the man. Although he didn't despise the family's eldest male heir, he didn't like him much either.

He also didn't have any choice in the matter. It seemed from the furtive glances that the elder Malfoy men were now slyly trading that they had been determined to get the younger man into a conversation about their heritage at some point anyway, so Scorpius resolved his mind to having to play at a share-care moment with two individuals he'd always felt rather uncomfortable around.

The truth was, although he and his father had recently become closer, the two of them had, not too long ago, a very strained relationship. After Astoria's death, Draco had withdrawn from the world, sinking into his own depression. He left behind Scorpius, a confused, angry, embittered pre-teen, whose sorrow had been violently mixed up with a case of raging hormones, as he went through puberty at age eleven. It had been up to his grandparents, the professors at school, and his peers to raise him thereafter, and the situation had become intolerably nasty as a result. He'd harbored a lot of unresolved rage at the unfairness of having his mother and father both so suddenly and violently stripped from his life.

It had taken many more years, and a stern talking-to by his grand-_mère_, before he and his dad had come to an understanding of his mother's passing and what it had done to drive a wedge between them. Still, he'd harbored great bitterness towards his remaining parent - until the man's newly rallied support in this whole Veela thing. Thankfully, as a result of Draco's second mating, Scorpius and his father been getting on better than ever, and the black hole that had existed where his father's love had been absent for so many years was beginning to fill again.

Still, it was a tentative re-acquaintance that he was feeling his way around. And now, he had to step across that remaining gap out of desperate need, and hope not to feel the sting of disappointment.

Chairs pushed back, and everyone headed for the door. The three wizards left the study and headed down the hallway towards the back of the Manor. Scorpius followed behind his father, ever aware of his grandfather pacing him at the back of the line, until at last they were outside in the lovely summer morning's heat, heading down the stone terrace steps towards the graveled garden path. Once there, Draco slowed and finally turned, stopping altogether, while Lucius moved to stand next to him. Together, they presented a formidable wall, and it was clear that the conversation was going to take place here, on their terms.

Scorpius shoved his hands in his light trouser pockets and met them head-on. Might as well take the bull by the horns… "I'm worried. Something's wrong with the Veela."

There was only a heartbeat's pause before his grand-_père_ spoke. "In what way is your mating not adequately progressing?"

He knew the question to be Lucius-speak for: 'what the fuck are you doing wrong, moron?'

Scorpius bristled at being spoken to in such a manner, but he reined in his natural reaction to bite back. Getting into a shouting match with the man over showing some respect towards his sole grandson every once in a while wouldn't help matters, and he had more important things to talk about just then.

"My Veela, he's-" He stopped, unsure how to explain it without sounding like a weak-willed pussy. Running a nervous hand through his hair, he cupped the back of his neck and sighed. Who was he kidding? There really was no way to frame this issue in a good light. "Is the Veela supposed to control you so much? I mean, almost completely? And is it supposed to backstab you to your mate when they're talking to each other?"

His father's brow lowered and he traded a look with his sire. "They talk to each other without you?" Draco hesitantly asked. "How is that possible?"

Scorpius was careful when probing about inside his head, seeking his 'other half'. His Veela was currently dozing – recuperating from having used a lot of energy last night to first yank Rose out of her nightmare world, and then to sustain their shared dream for an extended period of time. That meant he could discuss this freely without being interrupted, or worse, forced into silence.

"He's been able to shove my consciousness to the side and hold me back, taking over my body."

The tension that filled the air was very sudden and very alarming. His father looked at him with mouth agape in surprise, and then turned to his elder in deference, clearly unsure how to address such an issue.

Lucius' frown was so heavy, it lined his features. "Was he able to do that from the time of your Transition?" he asked.

Scorpius shook his head. "When he first emerged, he didn't have a lot of strength, so he just snarked at me all the time, calling me a pussy for not immediately claiming Rose. He acted sort of like a little boy, railing to get his way. As the days have passed, though, he's matured. Recently, he's developed enough strength to completely take over the body, shoving me to the side, and he's begun talking to Rose without me. Last week, his jealousy over her dating Corwin gave him strength, and he came forward, forcing her to make a deal for a time schedule for the mating to take place. When she tried to refuse him, he threatened to kill my cousin."

Draco stiffened at that. He was about to interrupt, when his father put a hand on his shoulder to stay him. He closed his mouth to listen to the rest.

Scorpius sighed, feeling a sickening despair and anxiety sliding around in his belly. "But he figured out fast that threatening Rose wasn't going to work. She's stubborn and shrewd, and was working around the bargain they'd made to find some legal loophole to block the mating without our knowledge. When we found out and confronted her on that, and the fact that she was continuing to see Corwin as well, he won her agreement to consider returning to the negotiated deal by seducing her instead." He shook his head. "He's too smart. It's scary how quickly he assesses and adapts to get what he wants. And even though he's quiet right now, usually I can feel him sliding around in my head, looking through my memories. I'm unable to stop him," he admitted, swallowing his shame, knowing this was too important a conversation to let pride stand in the way anymore – especially after this last dream session where he'd been almost effectively cock-blocked. "Last night was sort of a turning point in our relationship. He pushed me out of the way and took over my body several times, getting sexual with Rose and trying to keep me from joining in. A few times, he even said things that were intended to make me look bad in her eyes. It's almost like he doesn't want me involved in this mating at all, and would get rid of me if he could."

"What disparaging remarks did he make about you to your mate? Explain," Lucius bade, straight to the point.

Scorpius ran a hand over the back of his neck. "He made a few comments about my, um, sexual history with other women. He framed the whole thing to make himself looked like the good, attentive mate who had remained pure and untouched for her, while I looked like a common male slag who didn't care enough about her to be bothered to even ask after her health. And he kept referring to her as _his_, not _ours_. He referred to our childhood, and said things like, "that's why _I_ chose you.'"

His father and grandfather exchanged another of those silent looks.

"Go on," his father encouraged.

He shook his head, rubbing his tired eyes with the heels of his palms, wanting to scream in mounting frustration. Not even his mother's death had made him feel this powerless. "I feel like I'm quickly becoming some sort of secondary by-stander to this whole mating. The only thing that's been keeping me in the picture is that Rose trusts me more than the Veela. But that's starting to change. I saw it last night, when she realized that he is, in effect, a virgin who'd saved himself for her. She seemed enamored of the idea. I'm worried that with this tactic, he's going to win her for himself, and somehow figure out a way to keep me from her heart."

His father and grandfather were quiet for far too long after he'd stopped talking, so he hazarded a glance in their direction. They both looked _very_ alarmed.

"Just tell me: is this split normal?" he demanded, growing irate at the strained silence.

His father looked him right in the eye and shook his head. "No, son, it's not. A Veela should not have the kind of strength you mention. The host is always in control."

"It would seem we have an issue that requires an intervention," his grandfather baldly stated. The man fiddled with his cane, and then handed it off to Draco. He began unbuttoning his outer robes, and shrugged them from his shoulders, passing them and his white, silken shirt to his son as well, who put them on a nearby garden bench for safe-keeping. His pale, well-hewn torso came into view, and Scorpius was amazed by the strength that was still contained in the older man's body. This was, he realized, the first time he'd ever seen the man without proper attire. "It's best we to do it out here, where there's space."

Lucius' shoulders shifted, and a moment later, dark shadows crept across his features and his skin took on a pearlized sheen that glimmered brightly in the sunlight. From his back, great crimson and black wings magically grew and spread out wide in a lazy stretch. His platinum hair, which had ever been shoulder-length, fell in a great curtain to his waist, and when he opened his lids, the eyes were liquid silver. In the curious way of Veela, his grandfather's head jerked to the side in a rather bird-like fashion as it eyed him. It sniffed the air, inhaling deep, and made a strange clicking noise as if it smelled something wrong.

To his utter shock, Scorpius' Veela awoke with a start and pushed forward. His shoulders ached as the wings under his skin sought freedom. With no choice, he stripped off his light summer shirt to set them free, just as the Veela took control. A deep, rumbling growl emanated from his mouth and he took several steps back, crouching for a fight, fingernails growing into talons and curling with anticipation for blood.

_What the bloody hell are you doing? _he demanded of the thing he shared his life with, mentally pushing to regain control, but finding his consciousness blocked at every turn.

So focused was he on the more dominant Veela that shared a life with his grandfather – for Scorpius could smell the power in the being before him – that he failed to notice his father's Veela until it appeared at his side and grabbed a hold of his wrist with amazing speed and strength. The dark-winged creature hissed at him to be still.

Scorpius knew what his Veela had planned the second the thought crossed its mind. _No, don't, _he screamed in panic, but the monster inside would not be tamed. His Veela lashed out to slice Draco's throat, but as if anticipating the violence his grandfather spoke a quiet, wandless immobilization charm in that second, and his action was halted mid-strike. Frozen, unable to control his limbs, Scorpius' Veela screeched in rage.

Draco's Veela leaned in and sniffed, and quickly let Scorpius go, backing away. "You're not right," he spoke in that odd conflux of voices that was characteristic of a correct melding between Veela and host.

Scorpius' Veela seethed. "Don't interfere." His voice was that single, deep baritone, whenever his other side was in full control. Scorpius was completely sublimated by the creature now. "I _will_ kill you if you do, father or not."

Lucius' Veela screeched, establishing its alpha status, and Scorpius could feel the Veela within him fighting the biologic compulsion to cringe and lower its head before the elder. Clearly, it didn't like the pecking order. "Our son is correct: you are not right. You smell older than a youngling should – like a mature Veela. You attack your host and you threaten your mate. This is not our way. Explain, _eyas!_"

There was no response forthcoming. Scorpius' Veela refused to answer. He could sense it was hiding something. That secret, coupled with its pride in its refusal to give obeisance to the stronger Veela before it, made it obstinately hold its tongue.

"You will speak, youngling," Draco's Veela threatened, his sable wings spreading wide, blocking the sun. "Or we will force you."

Scorpius could feel his Veela's livid rage boiling under the surface as his father's greater Veela magic began compelling him to his knees. "She is _mine_," it spat, lips pulled back and fangs bared. "I claimed her the moment I saw her! She belongs to _me!_ No one else may have her!"

_She's mine, too,_ Scorpius reminded his Veela, and he felt the creature turn on him and snarl its defiance.

"No, I share her with you only because _she_ insists," it contemptuously jeered. "But you're unworthy of her!"

_And you are? _Scorpius made it a question, feeling strangely hurt by his Veela's rejection. Sure, he didn't like the thing – it was annoying and could be jabbing and cruel when it wanted – but he was stuck living with it, and he'd assumed such an arrangement would make it want to play along. That his other half clearly didn't even like him was a blow he hadn't expected.

"I am!" it screamed, its voice turning shrill on the last word. "I love her with my soul! _You're_ the one who has always hurt her, boy-o! You shag others, like that Eleri wench." He sneered over the witch's name.

Scorpius felt a pang of guilt at that brutal truth. He had been a royal jerk to Rose growing up, and he'd been unfaithful to her since she'd been revealed to him as his mate, but in all fairness, this mating had been thrust upon him by a magical curse, and the choice in mates had been startlingly unexpected. That Rose denied him at every turn once everything had been explained to her had only fueled his pettiness, too. And it wasn't like she hadn't been fucking Corwin…

His Veela hissed, having picked up on his thoughts. "She will never touch your cousin again – _never!_"

"You and our grandson are one, Veela," Lucius spoke, his voice a mix of several tones. "Your mate belongs to both of you. This division is unnatural."

Scorpius' Veela's ire shot through the roof at that. "It's _his_ fault! If he hadn't hurt her, I wouldn't hate him!"

_Hurt her?_ Scorpius asked, unsure what his Veela was talking about. _I've never hurt Rose… well, I mean physically, I never did. I may have been merciless about picking on her, but I never hit her – not even the two times she kicked me in the bollocks. She always gave back more than I ever doled out._

His Veela's anger burned so hot and so powerful that the _Immobulus_ cast upon his limbs was undone under the force of his fury. He hopped to his feet, stepped back, and spread his wings as wide as they could go. "LIAR! You hurt my mate! You all but raped her! You took her innocence, you fucking bastard!"

Scorpius felt suddenly very cold inside. _What the hell are you talking about? I never raped her!_

"You did!" his Veela screamed. "In your last year of school, you were drinking and you coerced her into a dark corner. You took her virginity without care, against a wall. You made her bleed, and she cried with regret after!" His Veela wept now with remorse, with guilt, and in anguish for having failed to protect his mate, clutching his heart, scraping his skin with sharp talons. "You hurt my mate, Scorpius! You _hurt_ her!"

Everything inside Scorpius came to a screeching halt and it suddenly became hard to breathe. _What the fuck are you talking about? I've never had sex with Rose Weasley._

"You did have sex with her!" his Veela spat around his tears, wiping a shaking hand across his face. "And you left me with no choice but to take those memories away, or else we'd be in trouble and she'd hate us forever. See what you did, you selfish bastard! Look – I'll show you. Remember and know!"

The grey curtain of ignorance that had magically blocked his mind for years was swept aside by the Veela's will, and Scorpius' repressed memories were suddenly set free…

They'd been playing drinking games at a party in the Ravenclaw common room, and Scorpius had gotten rather pissed off his gourd. Somehow, though, he'd remained coherent enough to convince a rather sloshed Rose to follow him down to the dungeons, into a passage he'd known was unfrequented and quiet. There, he'd kissed her ardently against the wall, pinning her in place with his weight so she wouldn't try to get away. He'd been tired of hiding the truth of his several years-long crush for his greatest rival, and he'd decided that this was his last shot before graduation.

His hand had been up her skirt in a flash, and he'd been fingering her sweet, tight passage the next instant, even as her hand had quickly undone his belt, unzipped him and took his length in palm, stroking it…

_Rose trembled in his arms and whispered his name against his lips as he brought her to the edge. _

"_I wanna eat you out. I want you coming all over my face."_

_She nodded to his proposition, whimpering, seeking his lips and tongue with urgent need. He took that as her full consent._

_Thumbing her knickers down her thighs to her knees, he knelt even with her pelvis. Her lower lips were completely bared of hair; she shaved down here. Merlin, that was hot! Unable to help himself, he dove right in, licking straight up the middle. Rose wailed with delight, begging him not to stop. Using all his skill, he feasted upon her pretty, pink pussy. _

_Within moments, he brought her to the brink once more, using his tongue to flick and suckle upon her little sensitive clit. When she came, her body tensed and her thighs quivered against his cheeks. As he sucked her little nub of flesh, he felt her blood pulse against his tongue. Making a final sweep, he tasted the honey of her release, flicking his tongue over the tiny hole. Gods, she was so sweet!_

_When her body stopped shaking, and her breathing calmed a bit, he regained his height. "I've got to have you," he desperately stated, gripping her hips. "You want this, too? Can we? I mean… you know?"_

_Her beautiful blue eyes were glazed with pleasure, drunk with need. Her cheeks were scarlet apples, to match the color of her swollen, plump lips. "Yes. God, yes!"_

_Scorpius nodded, sealing their agreement with a lush, wet kiss. "I'm gonna fuck you so good, you'll come again," he promised, and bent once more before her to pull her knicks the rest of the way off, tossing them aside. His knees cracked as stood up again, and he palmed his raging erection. He stroked it a few times to assure he was nice and hard. _

"_You're mine after this, Rose, you know? I'm keeping you."_

_She quaked as he took her into his embrace and pulled her up the wall so that their hips met. "Wrap your legs around me," he commanded. She did as he directed, and he slid between her slick petals. __With her damp core pressed against him, it was an easy thing to slip into position with a simple tilt of his lower body. Aligning his cock, pressing against her opening, he took a deep breath and let it out in a rush, thrusting hard into her at the same time. He buried himself to the hilt in that one surge, marrying their cores in one, smooth move._

_God, it was amazing! She was soft and soaking wet, and so tight around him. They fit perfectly._

_Against him, Rose cried out at his penetration, and she buried her face in his shoulder. _

"_That's it, baby, hold onto me," he whispered in her ear. "Hold tight and don't let go."_

After that, he'd lost himself in the moment, shagging her without grace or consideration against the wall in that dungeon corridor, the need between them too powerful for anything but hot, animal fucking. He'd pounded into her as if the Devil himself were driving him on. It didn't help that he'd been urged on by her small moans and gasps, and by the press of her fingernails into his back.

Within a very short amount of time, he'd felt her come apart again, her insides squeezing him so tight that he'd followed her over the edge. Stars had exploded behind his eyelids, and he'd cried out his love for her in that moment, feeling his ejaculations pulled from the very heart of him.

"_I love you, baby. Rose… ah, Founders, I love you!"_

In the aftermath, he'd slumped against the wall, totally exhausted and utterly sated, having finally had the one girl he'd wanted from the time he'd had his first wet dream.

It was only after he'd regained his sanity long minutes later that he realized three very important things: one, Rose was crying, and two, that she was desperate to get away from him (as evidenced by the way she had dropped her legs from around his waist, and was pushing against his shoulders and begging him between sobs to let her go), and three, he'd shot his seed inside of her without any sort of thought for protection.

Blind panic struck as he realized through the fog of half-drunkenness what all of that meant: she'd obviously been a virgin. Shite, he'd screwed up their first time, and taken her cherry from her against a bloody wall - and he hadn't been gentle about it at all. Worse, he might have just gotten her pregnant.

He stepped back a bit and looked down between them. Her skirt was bunched up around her waist, and he could see… Ah, Merlin, the creamy skin between her thighs was streaked with crimson, and a small stream of blood was dripping out of her, running down the inside of one leg. He knew virgins bled; Eleri had just a bit after they'd had sex the first time, too. But was it supposed to be this much? Was she supposed to be crying this badly?

"_It h-hurts, Scor! It burns!" she moaned, clutching one hand over her abdomen._

Oh, gods, he'd caused her pain! But how? What should he do?

He froze, his muddled brain – jumbled from a combination of too much drink and the buzz from having come really hard – was reacting too slowly to process everything and find a solution. All he could do was stare at the dark red droplets splashing to the stone floor between her legs and agonize over how he'd ruined this moment for them both.

The Veela inside of him reacted.

Fighting through the magic that held it back as it heard its chosen mate's cries, it struggled to free itself of the powerful magic holding it back, seeking to come to the surface of actualized consciousness to reach Rose and provide help. Fortunately, its host's inebriated state had facilitated its successful attempt to escape, as Scorpius' mental barriers were severely weakened. He felt a flush of scalding heat all over his body and broke out in a dripping sweat…

…and painful heartbeats later, the beast came fully awake, years earlier than was natural.

It didn't have enough energy to change to its true form upon emergence, but it did manage to push its host's consciousness aside and look through his eyes. Scorpius thought the sensation of being shunted to the side rather queer, but in his partially intoxicated state, it wasn't painful. In fact, it felt a lot like he was attempting to play Quidditch while sitting a broom backwards, with a head full of wool.

Quickly, his other half took in the situation, and with a moan of distress, it realized what Scorpius had done. Utilizing the knowledge it had stored up over the years from watching and listening, it placed the palm of its hand over Rose's core, cupping her sex, and quickly cast a Healing charm up and into her to stop the blood flow. It followed that up with a delayed Contraceptive Charm, hoping it would act in time. When done, it pulled its chosen mate into its chest, cradling her and trying to soothe her with loving words.

"_I'm so sorry, babe. Please don't hate me."_

_Rose continued sobbing. "I-It hurt, Scor. It was o-okay when we… b-but then it hurt so much! It was like a hot fire inside - like I'd been cut open d-down there. You were t-t-too big, t-too rough. I-It was my first time!"_

_The Veela pulled her back and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I've fixed the tear. It doesn't hurt anymore, does it?"_

_She shook her head, sniffling and shaking. _

"_Good. That's good," he murmured with relief. "It'll be all right now." _

"_It… it was m-my first t-time. You hur-r-rt me."_

_She wouldn't look up, his beast noted with some distress, keeping her gaze downcast as if too ashamed or scared to meet its gaze. The Veela felt a sharp pain in its chest from that fact. "Babe, I'm sorry. No more pain, I promise," it vowed. "I swear to you, Rose – no more." _

It had kissed her then with such tenderness, whispering apologies with every pull of lips. Rose was tentative at first, but very soon the kissing became something fiery and passionate as the Veela released a bit of its power to ease away his mate's sadness and reticence. The taste of chocolate and strawberries flooded its mouth, and it passed the aphrodisiac on to Rose as it thrust its tongue into her mouth again and again, sharing its gift with her.

Enflamed by the Veela's chemical cocktail, Rose immediately responded with a fierce ardor. She kissed it back, matching his desire, and her small hands slid down its chest and abdomen, reaching between them to palm its quickly-recovering arousal. She began stroking its stiffening erection, and moaned as the flesh hardened to steel between her fingers.

Despite the raging need to claim its mate, his Veela knew that it couldn't do so until the proper time in the future, as it was bound just as much as Scorpius was by the magic of its curse. Therefore, it tried to restrain its natural needs and be respectful of its mate. It reached under her skirt not to sexually touch her, but to wandlessly cast a _Scourgify_ to clean the blood from her thighs. It was just preparing to remove her fingers from its desperately straining shaft when Marshall Macmillan rounded the corner and caught them in such a compromising position.

After they had both fixed their clothing and been reprimanded by the Head Boy (the Veela pretending to be Scorpius the whole time), it agreed to walk Rose back to her common room, promising Marshall that there would be no detours. The guy was cool not to dock House points or to give a detention. Instead, he let them go, giving Veela-Scorpius a lewd, knowing smile on the way past. The beast internally snarled at Macmillan, but externally, smirked at him, keeping up the façade that he was Scorpius Malfoy.

As they walked alongside each other, Scorpius grew poignantly aware that his Veela despaired at the fact that Rose only loosely held its hand after it had reached for her, and that she hadn't spoken a word to it, or even looked in its direction on the walk up to the fifth floor.

"_Do you regret it?" the Veela asked as they finally stopped before the entrance to Ravenclaw tower._

_Rose paused to consider, took a deep breath, and nodded. "I'm sorry, but… I wish we'd done this differently." _

_Her words gave the Veela some hope. "So, you weren't adverse to us being together, only the manner in which we were?"_

_She clamped her lips together and shook her head. "I… all right, I admit it: I find you sexy and, yes… I wanted you. But, Scor, we're both a little drunk, and… well, there's so much between us. All the hurtful things you've said and done to me over the years. I'm not sure what to think now about any of it. You said you loved me, but… I don't know if that was just something you said in the heat of the moment or if you meant it. Shannon, Holly, and Alicia all say that boys sometimes say that to them, too, but none of them mean it. I'm afraid to believe you. And besides, aren't you're dating Gabriella Finch-Fletchley, anyway?" She bit her bottom lip in consternation. "God, you won't use this against me - will you?" She turned to look at him finally, her eyes pleading and pained. "Please, don't hurt me with this."_

His Veela's heart broke in that moment, comprehending that the years of fighting between its host and its mate – incidents that it, admittedly, had taken a bit of twisted amusement from - might very well never resolve itself as simple childish banter and be set aside. Their rivalry might, in fact, drag on into the future, making the mating it intended with Rose impossible for her to accept.

It sighed in weariness at the thought of the fight to come.

Nearing the end of its strength, and saddened by her words, Scorpius' Veela made a very hard decision, then – one designed to protect them all: it would _Obliviate_ its mate's memories of this night. If she didn't remember what they'd done, the incident would be like it never happened, and she couldn't hold this against either of them in the future. Then, they could have the chance to do this the proper way seven years hence, when it finally claimed Rose as its mate – all without its host's tainting of their sexual history to muck things up.

"_I promise that Scorpius won't hurt you with this," the Veela agreed. It reached out to stroke her cheek. "I'll give it back to you – your innocence. And tomorrow, you won't remember any of this. It won't hurt you anymore, babe."_

"_Wha-?" she stammered, brows lowering with confusion, this time having caught the meaning of his words. "What are you talking about?" She looked up, and recoiled. "What's happened to you? Your eyes have changed. They look…"_

"_Like silver?" he supplied when she stalled. She nodded. "That's because I'm not Scorpius. I'm his Veela," he admitted._

_She gasped, incredulity flashing across her features, and stepped back until her shoulders met the wall. "W-What?" She gave a tittering, nervous laugh. "Quit joking, Scor. Whatever you're doing here, this isn't funny. This isn't a game!"_

_Moving quickly, his beast covered the slight distance between them, pressing its body against hers and bent its head to give her a final kiss. "No game and not a joke. I am Veela. Just… just please wait for me, my mate. A few more years, and we'll be together. I promise to explain it all then – and to make this up to you, too. Forgive me."_

Using his magic, he uttered the memory modifying spell and stole her thoughts before she could react to counter him. Scorpius watched through the lens of time, noting how Rose's eyes flared with terror as she realized what he was doing. They quickly dimmed, however, and eventually closed as the magic worked its way through her head, sealing away her precious memories of the night's events, leaving her with a curious blank spot in her recollections. She would believe the evening lost from consuming too much alcohol.

Using her momentary unconsciousness to his advantage, the Veela quickly slipped his fingers under her knickers, and guided them up and inside her. It took tremendous restraint on the creature's part not to make this act sexual as he cast another Healing charm, repairing her torn hymen and replacing what Scorpius had taken from her.

"_I can't wait to have you," his Veela whispered as it took its fingers from her, brought them to its lips and licked them clean. It sighed in longing at her sweet, sweet taste. _

_When it had cleaned her cream from its skin, his beast hugged her tight. Its strength was quickly draining, but it was reluctant to part from the witch it had claimed for its own. "I'll want no one but you," it promised. "Wait for me." _

With a final stolen kiss, it left her leaning against the wall outside her tower, jogging down the corridor to get out of her immediate sight.

Hidden, the Veela peeked around the corner one last time, watching as Rose awoke from her stupor, seemingly confused about where she was and what had happened. Eventually, she regained enough mental faculties to answer the riddle of the Ravenclaw door, and passed through into her common room, presumably to go up to her bed for the night.

Seeing she was safe, the Veela then guided Scorpius' body down to the Slytherin dorms and into his own bed. There, it had cursed its host out for having hurt Rose, and then, it had _Obliviated_ him too, so no one would ever know what they'd done, leaving behind a final mental compulsion: 'lust, not love,' to ensure that Scorpius never fell for any woman until the Veela freed him to love Rose upon his Transition.

He knew from what he was allowed to see that the effort it had taken for the Veela to come forward before its time, fighting the magical bonds against it, coupled with all of the magic it had used for the night's events had utterly exhausted it. It fell into a deep torpor after that, allowing the magic of the curse to bind it up once more, its last thoughts of Rose and how much it had loved touching and tasting her – and how much it hated its host for hurting her.

Shaking himself out of the memory-vision, Scorpius fell to his knees, literally.

Slytherin's soul, he'd had sex with Rose Weasley! He'd had _sex_ with her! And it had sucked because he'd hurt her and made a mess of it all. Didn't matter that he'd come so hard he'd nearly blown his skull open. That golden feeling was ruined by knowing he'd made the girl he'd been head over heels for cry and bleed. Worse, he'd treated her like a common slag, shagging her against the wall. It hadn't just been their first time, but _her_ first time! How could he have done something like that?

Actually, he knew how he had: a combination of too much Firewhisky, too little common sense, and teenage horniness at maximum levels. He hadn't been thinking at all that night; he'd let his lust dictate his actions. And it had cost them both… no, all three of them – he, Rose, and his Veela.

His 'other half' sneered at him with blazing hatred. "You see? You made me seal away her memories. I never wanted to do that to her, but I had to! It's why she doesn't trust me - why she's feared me so much. Now do you understand?"

_Her nightmares_, Scorpius guessed, the picture beginning to become clearer for him now that he knew the truth.

"Yes, genius, her fucking nightmares!" the Veela screeched.

Scorpius shoved his way to the front of his consciousness, forcing the emotionally distraught Veela back. He took control of his own voice once more. "In the dreams, her house – her _mind_ – is ruined… It's because something inside of her remembers that something bad happened to her back then, isn't it? You woke up early to fix what I'd done to her, but didn't have the strength to delve deeply enough to entirely remove all of the memories. Her subconscious remembers that she's been hurt, but her consciousness can't remember how. She can't _see _how, but her instincts tell her that I have something to do with it. That's why she thinks I've stolen her eyes in the dream. It also why she's afraid of you: because somewhere, buried in her head, is the knowledge that you were the one who actually cast the memory spell."

_Yes, you bastard, you hit the nail on the fucking head,_ the Veela verified.

Scorpius rubbed a shaky hand over his forehead. "Christ, all those years we were mean to each other as kids, and then this… The negative feelings have just stacked up over the years, like a house of bricks. No wonder why she's always so mistrusting, and has been aggressively fighting a relationship with both of us."

His Veela snarled at him. _It's your fault – all of it. You're the one who taunted her, insulted her, and pushed her around when you were in school. You made her bleed and cry. And because of your actions, I had to seal away a piece of her mind to protect all of us from what you'd done. I fucking hate you for it._

"I know," Scorpius murmured. "And I deserve your hatred, Veela. I never meant to hurt her, or to… to cause you harm. I'm… gods, I'm so sorry!"

His Veela had nothing to say to that. It merely sobbed and fumed in his head.

"_Eyas,"_ Draco called to him. "You will explain to us what you are doing and why you have created discord."

Scorpius shook his head and looked up at his sire. "It isn't him, Dad. It's me. I've done something terrible." Honest to God tears filled his eyes. "You heard him, right? Dad, I hurt Rose. Back in school. It was just as he said. I hurt her."

His father's features scrunched up. "You raped your mate?"

"No, it wasn't rape! She consented," he explained, "but we were both drunk and… it was really rough sex. We were just two stupid, horny teenagers going at it, you know? But she was a virgin. I didn't know that until after." He bowed his head in shame and remorse. "After… I must have torn or ruptured something inside her, because she was bleeding a lot, and she couldn't stop crying! The Veela-"

"Our son woke up early to protect and comfort his chosen mate," the man spoke, and Scorpius knew it was the Veela within Draco speaking, although they were of one mind.

He nodded. "He healed her with some spells, and then _Obliviated_ us both of the memory of that night. I had no idea until a few minutes ago what had happened. I thought that I'd blacked out from drinking too much, but that wasn't it at all! He _made_ us both forget! And he put a compulsion in my head before he was forced back to sleep from exhaustion: to only lust after women, never to love them. Once the Transition happened, that compulsion broke, but still… he stole my will from me for those seven years! And Rose…" He reached up and grabbed a handful of hair on both sides of his head, pulling it. "She's been having these nightmares that we've had to go into and pull her out of – twice now. It's her mind trying to remember what's been hidden from her. It must be driving her mad."

He glanced up at his father. "Your Veela woke up early, too, didn't it? Did yours have that kind of power – to be able to _Obliviate_ people? Rose told me that she and her mother were talking about the specifics of your mating, and that her mum thought that your Veela had woken up back during your sixth-year, when you'd been injured and sent to the Hospital Ward. She said you two… that Hermione had suspected your Veela of having seduced her that night."

His father had the good grace to actually blush. "Our mate would be partially correct," Draco admitted, slyly smirking to cover his embarrassment. "But no, our Veela did not have that kind of strength back then, as we could not fully awaken. The wizard's Mark prevented our coming forward. There was a dark magical barrier in place when we attempted to break free, and we could not go through or around it. It trapped us inside. We could only use some of our abilities that night – those closest to the surface."

"Your pheromones," Scorpius guessed, and Draco confirmed with a single nod.

Lucius raised one white-gold eyebrow at his son. "Indeed," he stated. "That explains much." He turned those piercing silver eyes upon Scorpius. "It also explains your division." He flapped his crimson-black wings in agitation. "Your _eyas _was birthed before his time, splitting from your consciousness before the magic of the Transition could keep you bound together as equals."

Helpless before such knowledge, Scorpius began to lose heart. "So, how do we fix this?"

_We don't_, his Veela growled at him.

"You don't," his grandfather confirmed. "You must learn to co-exist – not for each other, but for your mate."

Within his mind, his Veela seethed at the idea of being forced to share Rose with its host.

"He's too jealous. It's obvious that he won't share her with me," he conveyed with a stabbing disappointment. "I can feel his resentment of me getting stronger every day, too. I think he's played for my team so far, because he knew he had no other choice as he was newly Transitioned and weak, and because he was learning what worked and didn't work to motivate her. But, now that he's growing stronger and Rose is becoming fond of him on her own, and he's got her interested in having a physical relationship, I think it's only a matter of time before he'll convince her to entirely shut me out of this mating. And he'll be able to keep me out by locking me down in here." He tapped his temple.

_You're in my way, _his beast hissed. _You've jeopardized my status with her and kept me from her for too long, boy-o. I __want__ my mate!_

Draco flapped his wings again, and jerked his head in that queer bird-like fashion. "If you continue on as you are, you both will continue to harm your mate."

Lucius squawked in agreement. "She will be as torn as you should you approach her as separate beings, _eyas_. This may destroy your mating. You have already driven her towards an illness of the mind by giving her nightmares. You may worsen such things, or cause her to kill herself to be free of your fighting."

The Veela shoved forward again, and once more, the weight of its wings fell heavy upon Scorpius' shoulder blades. "_I _will care for her! _I_ will love her enough to protect her from such things!"

"You cannot mark your mate without agreement from both halves of your heart, son," Draco contested. "You are human and Veela, sharing one form, bound together until the end of your long lives. You must come to an accord, or your mate will continue to suffer, as will both of you."

"Bear in mind, _eyas_: the longer this goes on, the more risk you take of a challenger appearing," Lucius reminded him. "We have heard the rumours that Louis Weasley is coming of age later this year, and we know his mother to be of Veela blood. He has a male cousin, as well - his mother's sister's son - who is also of the Veela birthright, and turns twenty-five next month. If either male Transitions and desires Rose Weasley for a mate, they could lay a claim upon your female, who is still unmarked. And there may still be more descendants of Veela around, for the scent of our kind has grown stronger in the air of late. The pheromones of those close to Transition mixes with those who are mating, and saturates our senses..." He shook his head and put a hand to the side of his temple. "The scents confuse us. We cannot distinguish them from so far away. But know that they exist, and represent a real threat to your mating."

Scorpius' beast growled, getting to its feet. "Rose is mine! I will fight to the death for her! No other will mate her but me!"

_But us,_ Scorpius stubbornly reminded his Veela. _We do this together, or she will suffer for it. You heard what father and grandfather said. They're right, and I sense you know it. _

The Veela did not reply, but he could feel its bitterness.

_Do you want Rose to keep hurting the way she has been, _he pressed._ Do you want her nightmares to end? Then we need to get our shite together, you and me. _

"Veela?"

All three men turned their attention towards the voice of the newcomer…

…only to find Hermione Granger standing in the middle of the path, leading back towards the house.

"Mate," Draco purred in greeting.

She gave Scorpius' father a melting smile. "Hello, love. I wondered if you and Lucius would be so kind as to allow me a moment alone to speak with Scorpius and his Veela? I believe a female's perspective, one who is intimately aware of Rose's temperament, would be just what the doctor ordered in this case."

"Extendable Ears?" his father asked, curious as to how his mate had overheard their conversation from the house.

The witch merely shrugged with enigmatic whimsy.

In a flash of black feathers, Draco had her in his arms, and was grinning down at her. "Have we told you how much we love your sneakiness, mate?"

Cheekily, she patted the side of his face. "Yes, dear. I know. Now, kiss me, and then run along so I can speak with your son about my daughter."

He did as bade, making sure to rub his scent marker all over Hermione's cheeks after snogging her one good, just to make the other two Veela nearby once more fully aware of his claim upon her. The scent of cinnamon and nutmeg infused the air. Ms. Granger giggled and rolled her eyes at her mate's macho display.

Lucius snorted, gathered his clothing and his cane, and headed back for the house. As he passed by them all, he turned once to look back at his grandson's Veela. "Think on what has been said, _eyas_. It would be a shame upon our family's history should we have to destroy you for turning feral." His eyes alighted upon Ms. Granger, purposefully angling his gaze downward towards her womb. "But know that the Malfoys will not diminish with your loss. Our son has already seen to that."

Scorpius' Veela bared his fangs and hissed, spreading his wings wide to face the challenge.

"Oh, dear," Hermione sighed, gathering up Draco's clothing from the bench where he'd temporarily put them down, and handing them off to the man. "I think the two of you have made your point. That's quite enough chest-thumping for the day." She turned to her husband. "Go, and take him with you." She nodded her head in Lucius' direction. "Narcissa is probably wondering where the two of you have gone off to, anyway."

At the mention of his mate's name, Lucius tucked back his dark red-black wings and headed towards the house, his step quickened. His son followed him.

Alone with Rose's mum, Scorpius felt that his Veela was suddenly, keenly uncomfortable. Surprisingly, he stepped back, letting his host take back his body. Gathering up his shirt from the ground, he slipped it over his head to cover up as his wings magically melted away.

"You don't need to reiterate, I heard it all," his step-mum frankly stated.

Shoving his hands into his trouser pockets, Scorpius looked away, feeling as awkward as his Veela had. How did you face the mother of the woman you'd abused so badly? How could you honestly say you were sorry for hurting her baby girl?

"And I know you regret what you did to Rose. I could hear it in your voice," she informed him. "What we need to do now is formulate a plan so both you and your Veela can get what you want."

At that, the beast within him seemed to sit up in rapt attention.

Scorpius sighed. "We're listening."

With confident step, Hermione approached him and linked her arm with his own. She then proceeded to lead him further down the white gravel path, which wound around the entire rose garden. His father's scent was like a perfume all over her, saturating every pore and hair follicle, making his nose itch. He rubbed at it with his free hand.

"Now, from what you've said, your Veela doesn't like the idea of sharing Rose with you, because he's angry at you for hurting her years ago," the woman launched right into the mess of his love life without flinching.

"That about sums it up," he confirmed.

She shook her head. "Well, then your solution is this: remove the block on my daughter's memories, have everyone apologize profusely all around, and then let the Veela make love to her. Not to mark, but just to have her as he wants – in love, alone for the first time. Hold yourself back, Scorpius, and show them both how to trust you again. In doing so, you'll all win."

"If she remembers, she might not forgive me for that night," Scorpius stated the obvious, knowing his Veela was thinking the same thing.

His step-mum shook her head. "She _will _forgive you – you and the Veela both – once you explain your position. The trick is pinning her down so you can do that without her running. Therefore, I suggest you do so in the dreamscape, where you can control her. You can free Rose by taking her through her nightmare and giving her what she's been asking you for: her sight back, figuratively speaking. Then, you can explain the reasons for hiding it from her while she's still a captive audience."

Scorpius looked hard at her, his mind whirling over her plan, trying to find a flaw. Eventually, he had to concede that it was the best option available to them all. In the real world, Rose could Disapparate away before he could apologize and explain his and the Veela's past actions. Physically chaining her to a chair and obliging her to sit through it would undermine his position, though. Of course, the same could be said about locking her in the dream world, but of the two options, it was the safest and least likely to cause an escalation in brute force.

_What do you think,_ he asked his Veela.

His beast paused to consider everything he'd heard before rendering judgment. _I think she'll kill us both once she remembers._

_I expect we'll have to grovel a lot to win her forgiveness there. No, I meant you and her… alone,_ he explained_. If I conceded to that idea, would you stop hating my guts so much?_

The Veela seemed confused. _You'd do that? Let me mate her without you?_

_Not mark, but… shite, yes, all right, _he compromised. _I'd let you two have sex without me, if she wants it. But you can't use your Veela magic to sway her. She has to agree to the idea of her own free will, no tricks of any kind. And it has to be only after we've shown her the past and released her memories._

His 'other half' growled. _She wouldn't let me touch her if she knew._

"Are you two discussing it, then?" Hermione asked, interrupting the conversation in his head.

Scorpius nodded. "He's interested in the idea, but afraid that Rose won't want him after we tell her the truth about the past and what went down between all three of us, and why the Veela had to seal up her memories."

Hermione patted his arm. "Leave that to me, dear. I'll arrange to have breakfast with my daughter tomorrow morning to discuss the issue. I'm sure I can make her see reason. She was, after all, a willing participant the first time you were together, or so you stated, so she's as much to blame for what happened as you are. That your Veela had to intervene because of your recklessness – on both sides - was unfortunate and unplanned, but necessary. He actually took a rather sensible route, when you step back and really consider how bad the fallout could have been otherwise."

_She's right. I saved your arse that time, boy-o,_ his Veela haughtily stated.

He sighed. "Yeah, I know."

_I'm well aware that I owe you. Rose and I both do,_ Scorpius acknowledged his 'other'_. You kept a bad situation from becoming worse. If she'd gotten pregnant then, she'd have really hated me, as she would have had to give up her Quidditch career. What you did… I'm sorry I put you in that position. I'm sorry for fucking up your awakening. I know what it cost you now, and… shite, man, I'm just sorry for all of it._

His Veela was silent, but he could feel it turning over his words and finding sincerity from its host.

"We'll tell her tonight," he said, making the tough decision for them all, "and pray she doesn't know any castration hexes."

His step-mother laughed, and it was a pretty sound.

As if the grey clouds over his heart parted, Scorpius suddenly felt better. His bleak mood dissolved in the warmth of the afternoon sun and in the face of this woman's support. He put his hand over hers, where it rested in the crook of his arm and smiled down at her.

"My father chose well."

The witch blushed, and gave him a brilliant smile. "Yes, well, Malfoys always have good taste – or so I'm frequently told."

They both laughed at that, and turned back for the house, planning how best to go about freeing Rose from the shackles of the past so as to begin making a future together. Along the way, Scorpius began to understand that he was coming to accept that Hermione Granger was in his life to stay, and that he was perfectly content with that arrangement. It was true that his father's new mate could never take the place of his mother in his heart, but it was equally apparent that she was fast becoming a good friend that he could respect and adore.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

**Please review!**

**For the sake of this fic, here are the important birthdays of the Next-Gen characters, so you'll understand the timeline (given in order of date, oldest first):**

- Victoire Weasley = Daughter of Fleur Delacour + Bill Weasley = her birthday is established in canon as being 2 May, 2000.

- Fred Weasley II = Son of Angelina Johnson + George Weasley = no date given in canon, not even a year of birth. I chose 5 November, 2001 for his birthday for this fic.

- Dominique Weasley = Daughter of Fleur Delacour + Bill Weasley = no date given in canon, not even a year of birth, although she is mentioned as the second of three children to this couple. I chose 3 September, 2002 for her birthday for this fic.

- James Sirius Potter = Son of Ginevra Weasley + Harry Potter = no date given in canon, not even a year of birth, although he is mentioned as the oldest of three children to this couple. I chose 15 March, 2003 for his birthday for this fic.

- Roxanne Weasley = Daughter of Angelina Johnson + George Weasley = no date given in canon, not even a year of birth, although she is mentioned as the youngest child of two to this couple. I chose 6 October, 2003 for her birthday for this fic.

- Molly Weasley = Daughter of Audrey (maiden name never given) + Percy Weasley = no date given in canon, not even a year of birth. I chose 23 August, 2004 for her birthday for this fic.

- Marcus Zabini = Son of Pansy Parkinson + Blaise Zabini = an invented character for this fic; does not exist in canon. I chose 10 November, 2005 for his birthday for this fic.

- Albus Severus Potter = Son of Ginevra Weasley + Harry Potter = no date given in canon, aside from him being born in 2006. He is mentioned as the second of three children to this couple. I chose 5 January, 2006 for his birthday for this fic.

- Rose Eleanor Weasley = Daughter of Hermione Granger + Ron Weasley = no date given in canon, aside from her being born in 2006. I chose 22 February, 2006 for her birthday for this fic.

- Eleri Nott = Daughter of Tracey Davis + Theodore Nott = an invented character for this fic; does not exist in canon. I chose 22 March, 2006 for her birthday for this fic.

- Lucy Weasley = Daughter of Audrey (maiden name never given) + Percy Weasley = no date given in canon, not even a year of birth, although she is listed as the second and youngest daughter of this couple. I chose 18 April, 2006 for her birthday for this fic.

- Shannon & Holly Finnegan = Fraternal Twin Daughters of Lavender Brown + Seamus Finnegan = invented characters for this fic; do not exist in canon. I chose 30 May, 2006 for their birthday for this fic.

- Scorpius Malfoy = Son of Astoria Greengrass + Draco Malfoy = no date given in canon, aside from him being born in 2006. I chose 21 June, 2006 for his birthday for this fic.

- Corwin McLaggen = Son of Daphne Greengrass + Cormac McLaggen = an invented character for this fic; does not exist in canon. I chose 10 July, 2006 for his birthday for this fic.

- Alicia Longbottom = Daughter of Hannah Abbott + Neville Longbottom = an invented character for this fic; does not exist in canon. I chose 24 July, 2006 for her birthday for this fic.

- Tomas Fontaine = Son of Gabriella Delacour + Frederick Fontaine = an invented character for this fic; does not exist in canon. He gets no play time in the story, really, but he _is_ mentioned by Lucius in this chapter in passing as an important plot point (referred to as Louis' mother's sister's son). I chose 2 August, 2006 for his birthday for this fic.

- Louis Weasley = Son of Fleur Delacour + Bill Weasley = no date given in canon, not even a year of birth, although he is listed as the youngest child of three, and only son to this couple. I chose 28 October, 2006 for his birthday for this fic.

- Lily Luna Potter = Daughter of Ginevra Weasley + Harry Potter = no date given in canon, not even a year of birth, although she is mentioned as the youngest of three children to this couple. I chose 22 April, 2008 for her birthday for this fic.

- Hugo Weasley = Son of Hermione Granger + Ron Weasley = no date given in canon, not even a year of birth, although he is listed as the youngest of two children to this couple. I chose 1 December, 2009 for his birthday for this fic.


	13. Chapter 11: Survivor of Memory

**Author's Note:**

**Thank you once more to Unseenlibrarian, who beta'd this chapter for us all and offered me some insight. I've made a few changes since, so any mistakes are mine. **

**Please be sure you throw UL some serious lurf in your reviews, as she's doing this for the love of the fandom - for you and me. She deserves mountains of chocolate for her efforts!**

* * *

_**CHAPTER ELEVEN: SURVIVOR OF MEMORY **_

_**Wednesday, July 9th, 2031 (night)**_

Across the expanse of a quiet, empty Muggle road, Rose could see a pretty white house with blue trim standing in a large lot on the corner, its lawn vast and green with life. In the full moonlight, she could discern the white picket fence that surrounded it and the well-groomed shrubberies and rosebushes therein. It appeared to be a very nice, little home – charming in size, well maintained by its owner. If the outside was anything to go by, she was guessing that its inside was most likely neat, clean, and warm.

As she crept closer, she noted that there was no light coming through the windows to pierce the indigo veil of night, nor smoke rising from the chimney stack to indicate a presence within. The little house was dark and still.

When she reached the walk before the gate latch, she stopped, a queer sense of foreboding gripping at her chest. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and goose bumps travelled the length of her arms. Her instincts warned her not to take one step closer.

A smudge appeared on the white front door – a dark patch that looked like… a handprint. It gleamed wetly in the glimmering, silvery light of the moon. For some unfathomable reason, her heart began racing. She clenched her shaking hands tightly, the nails biting into the flesh of her palm.

This was all wrong. This wasn't the real world. She was dreaming again, wasn't she?

A warm body pressed in behind her and comforting arms came around her middle. She knew the person's identity before she could see him, or even hear him speak. There was something very distinctive about Scorpius Malfoy's heat.

His nose pressed into the curve of her neck and he scented her on a deep inhale. "I'm here, baby. Don't be afraid."

"I don't like your dream this time," she whispered, afraid of disturbing the hushed and lifeless environment around them, unsure what monsters might slink from the shadows at the sound of nearby prey. "Take us out of here, Scor. Please!"

He let out a breath and it blew cold against her nape, making her shiver. "I can't. This is something you have to see."

She shook her head and tried to step back, but he held her firm and locked her in place with the solid line of his body. "I don't want to," she stated. Panic caused a heavy, tight pressure in her chest that threatened to choke her breath. "It doesn't feel right. Please, can't you just change the scene into a beach, or… or… your bedroom? Anywhere, but here!"

"Rose, listen to me," he murmured. His tone was gentle, but firm; it reached out to her and captured her undivided attention. "This is your dream this time. This house," he pointed ahead of them, and she looked down the long line of his muscular arm, focusing on the front door, with its grotesque, bloody handprint so clearly visible now, "it's your subconscious representation of your mind. You come here sometimes when I visit you. It's a night terror that you live over and over again." He dropped his arm, wrapping it back around her waist, pulling her in tighter. "The fear you're feeling right now, baby, it's because you're facing the dark things that haunt you, but don't be scared. The Veela and I are here with you. We'll go in together and explain everything to you so this nightmare will stop once and for all, and your house can go back to being happy."

"Did you force me to come here?" she grit between clenched teeth, her terror levels rising as the moonlight above began to dim.

The body behind her shifted, and the Veela's white wings flared outward to either side of her, curling in and around to shelter her. "I did, mate, because this is hurting you. We need to fix this – all three of us together."

His feathers were softer than Occamy plumes. They bent forward and caressed her bare arms with a silken brush that caused things in Rose's core to tighten and enflame against her will. In automatic reaction, her nipples hardened under the Muggle sleeveless top she was wearing, and a dull ache set into the hardened tips of her breasts. Without a bra on, the sensation of the cotton shirt rasping across her flesh was electric. Instant, blazing desire set her heart to pounding. Between her denim-clad thighs, moisture leaked, dampening her satiny knickers. Blood throbbed through her swelling clit and made the muscles of her pussy spasm. She shuddered with surprised yearning. It was suddenly too hot to be dressed in skin-tight jeans, and Scorpius was pressed in too close…

Behind her, her mate sniffed the air, and a dark, masculine growl of feral need left his throat as he caught the perfume of her arousal in his nose. Bending his head, his mouth met the curve of her neck and he bit down with blunted teeth, his grip meant to hold her in place, not mark her. His hand slid over her lower belly and between her legs to cup her sex, pressing upwards with the heel of his palm. The hard length of his jeans-covered cock rode the crack of her backside at that same moment, and pressed into the sway of her spine with a slow thrust.

Rose whimpered, her hips rocking back against him in response without conscious thought.

Rowena's Bane, how was it this man and his beast could make her react this way? They hadn't even given her the First Mark, and yet her sexual and emotional response to them both had been growing incrementally by the day. It seemed impossible to fight, too, as these feelings crept into the corners of her heart and mind, slowly taking her over.

Was she actually starting to love Scorpius and his Veela, or was this part of the magic of Veela mating? Was his ability to conjure and control lust somehow influencing how she felt for them, or were these her own feelings? Honestly, she just didn't know. Rose had thought she loved Corwin before Scor had come back into her life, but that love had been trumped – no, stolen from her by the mating. Her feelings for Cor were now all but nullified; thinking of him made her sad, not warm with longing, as it once had.

God, it was her mother's situation all over again, wasn't it? Hermione Weasley had stopped loving Ron Weasley once Draco Malfoy had reappeared in her life. That loss had devastated her father for a long time. Sure, now they both seemed accepting, but Rose recalled a time when that hadn't been the case, and there had been lingering, resentful silences between her parents that had been palpable to the sensitive teenager she'd been.

Now, though, her dad was happily married to Susan, and her mum genuinely seemed content in her mating. In fact, Rose couldn't remember a time her mother had ever smiled so much.

Or maybe her mother's reaction was nothing more than lust overriding her common sense. The Veela had said his powers were meant to enflame, not ensnare, but it seemed to her that they did both. In the restaurant on the night of their date, that poor woman with the business card had clearly demonstrated that fact. How awful to have your will stolen from you by a false chemical reaction...

...or by the whim of a dream.

"Wait!" she gasped, struggling to regain control of her responses. She pushed against his hand, trying to pry it from between her thighs.

Something was wrong with this whole scenario. For some unfathomable reason her restraint seemed thinner and harder to hold on to than usual. It was this place - had to be. What had Scor said? This was the realm of her _sub_conscious mind? So, did that mean that her discipline was nullified and all of her emotions heightened in such a place? That certainly seemed to be the case.

She gripped the hand that had moved to fondle her heavy, aching breast. "Please, stop!"

Behind her, Malfoy froze. He took several deep breaths, as if trying to calm his instincts, and removed his roaming hands, settling on her waist instead. "You're right. We're not here for this," he replied, his voice that weird conflux of both Scor's and the Veela's. His wings brushed aside, allowing her freedom from their cage, if she wished. "We promised we'd free you from this nightmare, and we will."

He dropped his hold on her, stepping back.

With the temptation gone, Rose's will returned… and with it came the chill of fear again. "I don't want to go in there," she admitted, feeling her courage hanging by a thread.

"We'll be with you," Scorpius and his Veela promised.

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, pulling it away from her neck. "You're sure we have to?"

The heavy weight of her partner's hand landed on her shoulder, lending its strength and comfort. "Yes."

"Why?"

He stepped up to her side, dropping his hand from her shoulder. "Because we did this to you, Rose. We unintentionally caused this bad dream to take up residence in your mind years ago. It's been festering in your head ever since, growing and spreading as time passed." He turned that silver-mercury gaze on her, and there was the pang of guilt etched into every line of his handsome face. He practically bled regret. "We need to free you from this pain."

She wondered if this had anything to do with what Eleri told her earlier today about her sexual liaison with Scor in seventh year. Was the answer to the gap in her memory from that night right here, before her now? Was that the big, nasty secret?

His hand reached for hers, held between them, waiting for her to take it. She paused and glanced back at the front door, the wet stamp of a bloody hand illuminated against the startling white backdrop. Did she want to know the truth? What if it was worse than what she'd learned from El? What had Scorpius done to her, exactly?

She took a deep breath and let it out nice and slow. There was only one way to find out, wasn't there? Gryffindor she may not have been, but she was the daughter of two of the most famous lions in history. Her mother and father had never backed down in the presence of evil, and if they could do it, so could she. She was going to face down her greatest fear tonight, whatever it was. She was going to beat it to a bloody pulp and put it in its proper place, and then this nightmare would go away forever.

Shaking in her boots, she reached for her partner's hand, gripping it tight. Together, they entered the property through the gate, walked up the lined path to the front door, and entered her haunted self.

**X~~~~~X**

The inside of the house was a disaster. It looked like fire had ravaged it. Melted furniture, peeled wallpaper, and scorched carpet weren't half the damage. There was also a rather large hole directly in front of them, where a staircase leading to a second floor had once stood. Now, it was a pile of kindling, fallen through the gaping breach.

Well, the metaphors were certainly poetic.

"I'm a mess," she sighed, attempting to ignore the stench of charred wood. "Aren't I?"

Scor squeezed her hand. "You've been trapped for a long time behind some very powerful and destructive fears and anger, Rose."

Shoring up her courage again, she dared to ask the one question that she knew would bring the mountain down around them, so to speak. "Does this have to do with us having sex back in school?"

He jolted in surprise, and Rose could feel the hot weight of his stare upon her. She kept her eyes glued to the black abyss in the middle of the room, hoping nothing came creeping out of there to get them. Who knew what weirdness existed in the dark vaults of her mind.

"You remember?" he asked with some measure of astonishment.

"No, but Eleri told me," she admitted. "I went to see her today. She was… really torn up over you ending your ten-year relationship with her. She loves you, you know. She always has."

Scorpius' Veela growled, and when he spoke, it was only him this time. The deep bass of his voice vibrated through her. "I won't feel guilty for that. You're my mate, Rose. I can't love her, too. There's only room for you in here." With his unoccupied hand, he tapped the spot over his heart.

"Yet, you slept with her anyway."

Another low rumble escaped his throat. "_I_ didn't." He paused, seeming to struggle with his words. When he spoke again, Scorpius was back, sharing their mouth. "Even so, that's the past. It won't happen again. Eleri will come to understand. We're sorry for the pain we've caused her, but we can't undo what's done. All we can do is hope she'll forgive us someday."

Suddenly, his situation with Eleri seemed much too close for Rose's comfort, as it reminded her of her own with Corwin. Her growing love for him, which had been so intense just a few weeks ago, was fading away. She could feel the loss of it in her chest. It wasn't painful, it didn't ache, but it did sadden her, because she knew in the end that she was going to leave Cor as broken-hearted as Eleri had been left… and there was nothing she could do to change that fact. She wasn't sure she'd even want to now, given how her feelings for Scorpius and his Veela had changed over the past few days.

Steadily, by leaps and bounds, the magic of the Veela mating was taking her over. Instinctually, she knew it was only a matter of time before she gave in and accepted it. It seemed there didn't have to be any marking for it to happen either; it only required a mutual desire to mate each other.

And boy, was it mutual desire! Just remembering what they'd done last night, how he'd gone down on her... her insides clenched, causing another spill of hot juices to saturate her knicks.

Scorpius' aroused growl rumbled loudly and with dominant intent again. In a quick move, he turned them both so that she was pressed into the singed jamb of the door. He came in behind her, his big body tight against hers. She could feel his enormous erection, stiff and desperate, lying in the cleft of her bum. His lips hovered over her ear. "We smell your lust, Rose. You're tempting us. Do you want to be fully mated tonight?"

She shivered at the primal, male growl in his voice. "It's this world," she tried to argue, her fingernails digging into the wood as his hands covered hers and his cock slid up and down against her. "Feelings and emotions are stronger here, I think. They're… they're…"

"Wilder," he provided, nipping a path down her neck. "Harder to control."

She nodded. "Please, we have to stop. Otherwise… _Oh!"_ She gasped as his fangs scraped across her pulse point. He didn't break skin, didn't mark, but it was clear from his trembling body what he wanted. Her breath grew heavier as sensation sizzled up and down her spine. "Don't! Please, don't," she frantically whispered, trying to rein in her blooming need. "Not like this. Not here."

Between one breath and the next, the Veela froze. His throat convulsed in a swallow against the curve of her shoulder, and his breathing flowed in hot, ragged pants over her exposed skin. Rose stood on the edge with him, her knees quaking and her mind equally as torn by indecision.

Thankfully, her Veela mate proved stronger than she'd suspected, as his mouth pulled away a moment later. Stepping back, his movements were careful, precise to assure their parts didn't rub together when they shouldn't. His wings remained tucked back to prevent provocative caresses as well.

When he had withdrawn a good distance, Rose was able to curb her body's yearning enough to think again. She pressed her forehead to the cool wood and let out a shuddering sigh. They needed to get out of here fast, as this place was dangerous to their relationship. "Show me what we came here for," she demanded in a voice huskier than intended. "Let's just… get this over with."

"It's this way," he directed, pointing around the hole to a hallway just beyond it, seeming to be in complete control of his faculties once again. He held his hand out for her to take. "The floor's weak in places. I'll guide you."

Mustering her discipline, she wiped her palms on her jeans and took his fingers.

They proceeded towards the back corridor with careful step, he in front, leading the way. Twice, she heard the wood give an ominous creak and paused, shifting her weight around to avoid danger. Malfoy kept a solid hold of her the whole time, and strangely, she felt it was safe to trust him to protect her. Odd, since she'd previously been frightened of giving him as much as an inch over her in any manner.

Things had definitely changed between them over the last few days. Putting her finger on when exactly that had occurred, though, was difficult. Had it been that dream they'd shared in the tent, when he'd taken their physical relationship up a notch, or had it been because of the secrets she'd learned from Eleri regarding this boy-turned-man? Certainly, finding out that she'd once given him her virginity had been a shock. She'd always believed she'd accidentally taken that away with her own fingers during an experimental moment when she was eighteen.

They came to the lone door at the end of the hall and paused.

"You'll see something in here that's… disturbing," her companion warned.

"Well, 'forewarned is forearmed, and knowledge is power'," she quoted one of Rowena Ravenclaw's favourite sayings. "So, spit it out, Scor."

His grin was very white in the dim hall. "I forgot how swotty you can be sometimes," he said, chuckling.

She swiped him on the arm.

He flinched and laughed again. "And violent."

She raised one auburn eyebrow at him. "Shall I show you how violent I can _really_ get now that I'm older and more experienced?"

He waggled his eyebrows at her. "Anytime, baby. You bring the whips and chains, and I'll bring the strawberries and chocolate." He made a sensual licking motion with his tongue, as if he were mimicking lapping between her lower lips.

Rose couldn't stop the burst of laughter that erupted from her belly. "Seriously, get a leash on your lust while we're here, will you? You're driving me spare."

He gave an overly dramatic, suffering sigh and stepped back until he was pressed against the opposite wall, his wings folded behind him to act as a cushion. "Hey, I'm not the one with the naughty subconscious."

The way he lounged should be illegal, she thought. His whole body was well-defined muscle, without an inch of fat, and the bulge in his jeans… Merlin, Morgana, and Circe, the man was pure sex, a living, breathing deity of _amour_. "Yes, well, I'm sure everyone's subconscious contains some sexual components that are somewhat… compulsory," she commented. "But we all have a higher rationality that tempers it. We're not animals."

He stared at her across the few feet between them, his silver gaze eerily bright in the shadowy passageway. "But some of us aren't entirely human, either, baby. Our compulsions run more towards the beast than the man."

Was he being funny or serious? Rose couldn't tell. One thing was for certain, though: she wasn't going to let him use his cursed lineage as an excuse for their first time. "Which explains rutting me against a wall in the dungeons when we were seventeen and both too uninhibited by alcohol, I suppose?" she dared to ask.

He seemed to consider how best to reply, finally settling on a shrug, refusing to rise to the bait. "We were both hot for each other."

Her good mood instantly evaporated, to be replaced with ire at his nonchalant, arrogant attitude. "I was drunk, Scor."

He smirked. "Not that far gone, baby. You had most of your faculties – at least, enough reasoning to know better."

Had she? Why couldn't she remember? She rubbed at her temple. "Did you _Obliviate_ that night's memory from me? I can't recall any of it after arriving at the party, socializing for a bit, and drinking some of Marcus' bootleg Firewhisky."

His big body shifted, and his gaze dropped to the floor between them. "If you want answers, we're going to have to go through the door together."

"Why?" she asked again, not liking his dodge. "Why can't you just answer the question?"

He pushed off from the wall and stepped towards her, taking her hand. His fingers gently caressed hers. "Look, the two halves of you have to meet. Only then I can act to end this." He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed the centre of her palm. "Baby, just trust us. Open the door, walk through, and we'll be able to close this chapter of our lives once and for all."

"Will you… come in with me?" she asked. Whatever was waiting for her on the other side of the closed door, she didn't want to face it alone if she didn't have to. Her Ravenclaw core was brave, but that only went so far when facing down your worst nightmare.

"I'll always be at your side, Rose."

Swallowing her fear, she turned to the closed door and reached for the knob. A sense of wrongness about what lay beyond the closed portal tickled the back of her skull, growing incrementally with every inch closer she came to opening it. Still, she pressed on until her fingers grasped the metal handle. It was cold to the touch.

Her breath was visible before her, as the temperature suddenly plummeted around them. She shivered from the chill. Scor was right there behind her, hands rubbing up and down her arms to provide warmth. "Turn the knob, go in," he directed her with a quick kiss to the top of her head. "You can do this."

With a twist and a click, the door was opened. She pushed on through.

**X~~~~~X**

Rose noticed two things the moment she crossed the threshold: First, the wildness in her emotions was significantly dampened, making her feel much more in control and "normal". Second, someone was crying, loudly. Drawn to the sound, she turned her head and spied the distressed person, lying in the middle of the bare floor, sobbing.

No, wait, that wasn't just some random stranger. It was...her. Rose recognized the plaited, crimson braid as her own from the back, and paused in the doorway for a moment, surprised by the sight.

The 'other Rose' was curled up in a fetal position, so she couldn't see her face, but there was no mistaking that this was a younger version of herself from her school days. Further, this was where the fire had begun that had devastated the rest of the house, she realized from the flaring burn patterns around the body. This was the source of the destruction.

She hurried towards the school-aged version of herself, heedless of the creaking of floorboards under her feet. Bending over, she reached out to touch her younger-self's shoulder. "Are you injured?" she asked.

Her fingers touched down on the light woollen jumper of her old Hogwarts uniform and her doppelganger abruptly stopped crying, going so silent that Rose could hear her own heart pounding in her ears. She knelt down next to this physical manifestation of her pain and tried to get it to turn and face her. The flesh under her hand felt solid.

"He hurt me," the teenaged Rose sobbed. "He hurt me _so much._ Why does he always hurt me?"

Behind her, she heard a regretful groan escape Scor's lips.

"Why won't he save me?"

A wave of sorrow rolled over Rose's emotions. "Why do you need him to?" she asked her younger self. "Can't you save yourself?"

Her clone unfolded and sat up. From the side, Rose noted that the trail of tears down her cheeks continued to flow, despite her 'other's' lack of sound. Her eyelids were closed tight, but the lashes were beaded with moisture. The glasses she'd worn during that time period of her life were absent.

"Not for this," the young witch replied.

She did a roving check of her status then. Although her hair was back in a braid, it was messy, strands randomly pulled out and sticking up. Her uniform was untidy; the shirttails were un-tucked, the top button was missing, and the tie was unknotted around the collar, its ends trailing down over her breasts. Her skirt was up around her hips… and there was blood smeared between her thighs.

"Scorpius, please don't leave me here!" her school-aged clone pleaded, reaching into the air, as if she could feel him nearby. "It's so dark. I'm scared!"

Her lids opened, and Rose recoiled. The girl had no eyes, just dark holes where the organs should have been.

"Oh, my God," she gasped. "What did you do?"

In a blink, Scorpius was there, kneeling beside her. He took the other girl's hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. When he spoke, he addressed the Rose of the present, however, not the one from the past. "We're sorry it took us this long to come for you, baby. But we're here now." He and his Veela together reached out and lifted her wrist, bringing the two women's hands into contact, with his clasped around them. "It's time to end this." His Veela's wings stretched out and curved around, creating a soft barrier around the three of them, shutting out the ugliness of this nightmarish world. "Before we act, however, we want to explain some things. First, you should know that we never meant to hurt you, Rose, and we're so sorry that we did. Even though you wanted us that night back in seventh year, you had such regret after. You were crying and you were in pain."

The shadows around him shifted, making his eyes shine like a cat's at night. His hair grew longer, and his wings whiter. Rose recognized the signals now; the Veela was in full possession of the body again. "Your suffering called to me, mate. I awoke early to try to fix the damage and to protect you, but I was too weak, and my Obliviation spell wasn't strong enough. Bits of that night's events remained behind." He looked around at the devastated room, his gaze ending on the dream version of her younger self. "This was the result."

He shifted back between one blink and the next, the shadows lessening around him, his hair not quite as shaggy, the black tips of his wings returning. Scorpius melded with his Veela once more. "We caused this growing fear and anger by stealing a piece of your life away. It manifests as this nightmare that torments you."

"Is that why it's been so hard for me to trust you?" she asked, trying to puzzle it out with him. "Why I always feel so angry when I look at you. Sometimes I want to scratch your eyes out or yell at you for no reason."

He nodded. "It's obvious that you resent what we did to you, and you resent that we've made you wait all these years to have things explained to you, as we promised we would. You also resent us being with other women when we could have come for you instead."

She held up a hand. "Wait, I don't understand. You actually promised to someday give my memories back to me when you took them? So, why didn't you just do that once you reappeared?"

He sighed. "Because we'd hoped that, in time, the nightmare would go away on its own - especially once you let us mate you. Your stubbornness in that endeavour, however, has proven to be... formidable."

Rose bit her bottom lip, feeling that a disturbing answer. She physically withdrew from him, pulling away. "You would have continued to deceive me, you mean. You never would have told me what happened that night if Eleri hadn't said anything."

Fervently, he shook his head. "We decided before coming here to tell you everything tonight. You were suffering because of this," he waved his hand to indicate the dream around them, "and we knew this mating couldn't happen so long as a lie was between us. We were torn in two by what we had done as well."

For an instant, the wings faded out, and Scorpius alone faced her. "The Veela and I... we've been at odds since the night of my twenty-fifth birthday, when he woke up again. He's been angry with me for how casually I treated our first time and how I hurt you because of my thoughtlessness." He slowly reached out to touch her chin, forcing her to lift her eyes to his. "It's no excuse, but I was a stupid, horny kid and so in love with you, and the alcohol dropped all my inhibitions that night. I wasn't considerate to the fact that you'd never done it before, or that you weren't on any type of protection. All I could think about was finally telling you how I felt about you, and having you as I'd fantasized for years." His cheeks were pink with his mortification. "I wasn't gentle, and I caused you to bleed pretty badly. When I finally saw what I'd done, I froze. I didn't know what to do to fix it. The Veela... he had to step in to save us both. He healed you, cast a contraceptive charm on you, and took your memories to protect us all from this fallout. But like he said, that last part had unintended consequences. The very thing he worried would happen - that our one time together would taint our future - came true anyway."

Rose frowned. "Was it seriously that horrible? I mean the sex didn't suck that bad, did it?"

The Veela regained control of Scorpius' body again; the transformation happened in the blink of an eye. He reached out and brushed his knuckles against her cheek. "You both enjoyed it very much while it was happening. But... you never once cried in school, babe - no matter how brutal the fight between you and my boy-o got. I'd watched through his eyes and I'd listened through his ears. I knew you'd fallen down stairs twice, cracked almost every bone in Quidditch, and even once had your potions cauldron blow up in your face. None of that had ever hurt you as much as your regret that night did. It killed me to see your tears."

Something tightened in Rose's chest as she came to a startling revelation. "You said it hurt when a Veela woke-up early. You said it was like choking on fire and blood - pure agony." She pointedly stared him in the eye. "You felt that, didn't you? That's how you knew how to describe it to me."

He dropped his eyes to her lap.

Reaching up, she stroked over his cheek. Like a great cat, he leaned into the touch and rubbed against her palm.

"You suffered for me."

He turned his head and kissed her fingertips. "And you suffered because of us." He sighed. "'Sides, it's not like I laid the foundations of trust when I first appeared, either. I was so angry that you were with someone else after waiting so long to be with you - Scorpius' own wanking cousin, no less - and that you seemed so against our mating. I threatened to take your choices from you because I was desperate and scared. I know I frightened you, babe."

It was quiet between them for a bit, as they both ordered their thoughts.

"Is... is that all?" she asked. "I mean, there isn't anything else you're hiding from me, right?"

The Veela gave her a sad smile. "Nothing else. Promise."

"Then, will you show me that night now?" she asked.

"Will you save me, finally?" her younger self asked a beat later.

Scorpius and his Veela merged one more time into a single being. His wide wings flared around the three of them, creating a cocoon of safety, and he reached for their hands, linking them once more. "We'll share our memories with you, so you can finally know what happened, and stop being tormented over what was lost. Just... please forgive us for what you'll see," he beseeched.

With that, he leaned forward and kissed the school-aged Rose Weasley on the forehead. A flush of warmth ran through the adult Rose, and she felt her younger self's hand melt into hers, as if they were becoming one.

And then, they were.

**X~~~~~X**

Heart pounding under her ribs, Rose jolted upright in bed with a small cry, and stared with wide-eyed terror into the darkness of her room. Even as she registered that there was no danger about, a small sob escaped her lips. Her trembling fingers covered her mouth to stifle the sound, and tears flooded her eyes.

Scor's memories of what had happened that night in seventh year between them melded with her own, completing the picture and putting an end to her nightmare. Instead of bringing closure, however, they stirred confusion.

Merlin, she'd really done it, hadn't she? She'd seriously given Scorpius Malfoy her virginity back when she'd been in school. He'd been her first, and there was absolutely no doubt that she'd been more than willing for that to happen, alcohol or no alcohol. Cripes, she'd been all over him, moaning and begging for him to give it to her!

Jesus, he'd told her he loved her at the moment he'd come, too! Eleri had said Scor had always felt that way about her, but hearing it from a third party wasn't the same as hearing it directly from the horse's mouth. He really had loved her - ugly glasses, viperish tongue, coltish legs and all.

And the Veela... Founders, how much it must have hurt him to come forward and save them both from their foolishness!

The truth was a hammer blow between her eyes: they'd both been stupid with each other from the very start of their acquaintance - always picking at each other, always hurting each other in an effort to keep each other at arm's length. All they'd accomplished with such viciousness was to draw them magnetically back together over and over again each time one of them opened their mouth - and to cause the hurt to grow.

And she'd been the one to start it all. If only she hadn't slammed the door on his hand on the train their first year... If only she'd said one kind word to him that day instead of letting her family's prejudice taint their relationship... If only she'd recognized sooner that the feelings of disgust she'd harboured and nurtured were really a cover for her attraction to him, her jealousy of the other girls in his life, and her cowardice at not being able to admit that secretly she'd wanted him.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered into the night, wishing he could hear.

"Sorry for what?"

Goose bumps broke out all over her skin, and she froze like a deer in wandlight.

Oh God, Scorpius was here!

"How... how did you get past my wards?" she asked, pulling the covers up a bit to hide the thin tank that she'd worn to bed.

He stepped into a patch of moonlight coming in through the lone window in her flat's bedroom, and was illuminated in the soft, silvery light. Her breath caught in her throat. The feathers of his white wings were like finely spun silk in the glow, and the ethereal, graceful appendages moved as a natural part of him as he turned slightly to keep them from bumping into her dresser. And his hair... Rowena's Blessing, but his hair shimmered a pearl and champagne gloss! The mercury of his eyes gleamed like stars through the curtain of shadow drawn about his face.

"Nothing can keep me from you, my mate," the Veela stated, his boast delivered with an assurance that bordered on arrogance. "Nothing."

He stepped closer, peering down at her from the end of her bed. Gods, he had no shirt on! Every inch of his firm, well-defined torso was showing. And he was wearing really tight jeans that were stretched by the raging bulge under them. Clearly, he was very aroused.

She'd had that once - all of it, even the part hidden behind the denim. And now she had memories of how it felt to be held in those arms, too, as well as to be stroked by those fingers, to be driven nearly insane by that mouth, and to be so completely filled by his...

"Why are you here?" she demanded in a hushed whisper.

He didn't answer right away, merely stared into her soul with hungry, predatory intent across the distance. Rose felt her throat constrict in partial fear, partial anticipation. She'd never been so aware of a man in her life than she was just then, and it made her acutely conscious of her state of near-undress.

Both of them hovered on the edge of a decision that she could feel in the depths of her bones would irrevocably change their relationship. The moment was super-charged, super-heated, and the tension coiled in her belly, fairly crackling the air as sexual awareness passed between them.

"What were you sorry for, Rose?" he asked, that deep voice of his reaching out to caress her with invisible hands.

She shivered, and pulled the covers up to just under her chin. "F-for how horrible I was as a child to Scorpius. I never even gave him a chance that first year, and after that, it was just... just natural for us to keep hating each other. It's all my fault for starting the fighting." She dropped her eyes to the coverlet, ashamed. "If I hadn't, we might have been friends... and more."

The Veela cocked his head to the side in that queer bird-like fashion. He seemed to turn his attention inward, and she wondered if he was speaking to Scorpius about what she'd just confessed.

"None of us are innocent in what happened," he admitted. "But that's the past. As Scorpius said, we can't undo what's done." He let his hands come up and slide down his frame, ghosting over every inch of his torso in a slow, tantalizing glide, stopping at the button of his jeans. "It's the future I'm more interested in anyway. Aren't you?"

Rose was fixated on his fingers, which froze over the clasp at his lower belly and hovered there, seeming to wait for her decision. The bulge under them was huge, but she was betting he wasn't even fully erect, hampered as he was by the fabric of his clothing. The thought had her blushing to the roots of her hair, and causing her body to tighten with growing sexual hunger. The thin knickers she'd worn to bed were already damp from the dream; she could feel them growing more so as the wet heat of her pussy spilled onto the soft, cotton fabric.

She licked her lips, feeling them suddenly very dry. "Please stop using your Veela magic on me."

"I'm not." His sultry voice rasped across her senses as he unsnapped the button. "Your desire for me is all your own." He took a deep breath, and his powerful chest expanded. "I smell it. It calls to me. All I can think about is spreading your legs, tasting you for real, filling you with this." He lowered the zip, and pushed his jeans off. He was wearing nothing underneath. The hard, heavy length of him was suddenly before her, the broad crest flushed with blood, the foreskin pulled back tight.

Oh God, he was huge! Bigger than any man she'd seen! Had that really been inside her once? No wonder she'd bled so much her first time. He must have split her in two!

"I won't hurt you," he promised, stroking over it once, twice. Pre-come beaded at the tip, glistening. Her throat tightened with the desire to taste it. "I'll go slow."

Rose raised her eyes to his, a flash of terror running through her as she realized what this all meant. "I'm not ready for a baby, yet."

The Veela seemed a bit disappointed at that. "Then we'll cast a charm to prevent it."

"But the Third Mark-" she tried to argue.

"I won't mark you until you're ready," he promised her. "We can just do this tonight."

Her heart skipped a beat. He was willing to compromise? Really?

"Yes, really," he said with a chuckle, moving up along the side of the bed. "I can see your doubt clear across your face, mate." He crawled onto the mattress and up over her body. She laid back the closer he got to her face, until her head hit the pillow. Kneeling above her, his wings expanded wider than the bed, blocking most of the moon's light behind him. His huge cock hung between them, the heavy weight of it straining for her. "I won't give you any of the marks. In return, you give me all of you. Don't hold back." He reached for the covers that she'd white-knuckled up by her throat and slowly pulled them down. "Teach me how to make love to you, my mate."

Her breath coming in heavy pants now, Rose shivered as the cooler air hit her skin. "What about Scorpius?"

"He's already been with you once. It's my turn now," he murmured, stroking over the covered curve of her breast as he continued stripping her of the shield her summer bedding provided. "It's just you and me tonight."

The blankets were lowered to her thighs and dropped.

Rose's hands fell to her sides, and her nails dug into the bed sheet under her, seeking an anchor to the real world. "This isn't the dream world, right? We're really doing this?" she asked. Merlin help her if this was all just a fantasy, because she wasn't sure she wouldn't be a bit resentful come morning, if that were the case. "You'll go slow?"

The Veela pressed a warm hand to the centre of her belly, and a moment later, a pink light bathed her abdomen as the Contraceptive Charm was cast. It tingled through her womb, settling in, assuring she was protected.

"No dream," he promised, leaning his head closer to hers. He licked his lips, angling for her mouth. "I'll be as gentle as you need. I've waited too long for this to rush and ruin it," he whispered. "I've waited too long for _you_, my beautiful Rose."

When his lips met hers, Rose whimpered in defeat. She'd tried to maintain her independence the best she could given the restraints against her, but the moment she tasted chocolate and strawberries dance across their twining tongues, she knew she was utterly lost.

Reaching for him, feathering through his soft, platinum hair, she pulled her lover down on top of her, and gave herself to her Veela mate.

* * *

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Yes, yes, I know you want to murder me right now for stopping there. The sex scene is next, and yes, it will be all you ever wanted. Just give me some time to write it. ****Patience, dahlings!**

******Please review - nicely! **


	14. Chapter 11 ASIDE: 3rd Second Chance

_**CHAPTER ELEVEN ASIDE: THIRD SECOND CHANCE**_

_**Wednesday, July 9th, 2031 (night) – Thursday, July 10th, 2031 (early morning)**_

The weight of the Veela's body atop Rose was pleasant. His naked flesh rubbing against her chilled skin was so warm. His feathers brushing against her were like soft, fluffy silk, and the feel of his cock, heavy and iron-hard, was a delicious weight between her thighs.

The rich, sweet taste and scent of him was pleasure beyond anything she'd ever known, as well. The velvety smoothness of chocolate combined with the fresh, ripe flavour of strawberries tantalized her, made her wrap her lips around his tongue and suck every time he thrust it forward into her mouth.

"You smell and taste _so good_," she sighed around their kisses. "Is it Veela magic?"

The Veela grunted a denial and shook his head.

She pulled back to give them a bit of space, a little breathless. "In the restaurant that night of our first date, you gave off this same scent into the air, too. It was just for a second or three, but I caught it. Or, it caught me. I'm still not sure which. In any case," –she glanced at him through heavy lids- "when it's just Scorpius alone, I don't smell chocolate or taste strawberries. When you're combined, it's there, but less potent. It's really strong now that you're alone with me. I'm guessing it's something inherent to your particular biology as a Veela?"

He threw her a wicked grin. "Still bookish. Put a pair of glasses on you and a blue and bronze uniform, and you're sixteen again, babe." He wiggled his hips against hers. "You were hot even then, you know."

As she recalled how awkward and ugly she'd felt during her school days, her embarrassment crept up her cheeks. "I was not."

His fingers stroked the underside of her jaw. "You've always been beautiful to me, Rose. From the first moment I saw you, you captured me. I could never stop watching you, even when I was supposed to be considering other possible mates. I constantly nudged Scorpius to seek you out and to find reasons to talk to you-"

"You mean fight with me," she grimaced.

He tilted his head again in that odd, bird-like jerking motion and his eyes grew distant. Rose recognized the look by now: he was talking to Scorpius in his head. He blinked those silvery eyes and focused on her again a moment later. "He... we... didn't know how to talk to you then. We didn't know what to do with you. All we knew was, we both wanted to be near you and to have your attention anyway we could get it."

"Scorpius, you're here?" she hesitantly asked, confused by the use of the Veela's pronoun choice, when his voice was not that odd blending of sound with Scorpius' voice.

The Veela's face went cautiously blank, but there was a despair lingering in his unblinking gaze. "Do you... want him here with us... so you don't have to be alone with me?"

Rose was floored by his earnest offer, and saddened by the despondency that radiated from him.

With a gentle hand, she reached up and traced over his face to ease the wrinkles that creased his brow and around the edges of his lips and eyes. It was human skin she touched, but that was only on the outside, because he'd been born to share a body with Scorpius Malfoy. He was Veela, however, and on a very fundamental level, they were not the same species. In effect, being with him was like being with a werewolf. He could look human, but his heart and magical ability was that of a beast, at least according to the Ministry.

Except, her Veela's soul was not as feral as it might have been had he been born in his own body, rather than magically cursed to share an existence with a human, she was beginning to realize. His early awakening had changed him, she believed. Just as Scorpius had been influenced by the Veela's innate sexuality and its temperament issues, so the Veela had been influenced by Scorpius' human heart. They were symbiotic entities living in one form, separate but always together.

Which meant she was, in effect, involved in a threesome. Ooh, boy.

Well, at least it wasn't one she needed to fear any longer, as she finally understood both sides of this amazing man-beast; the memories they'd shared with her had filled in the events of their shared past from his perspective, and allowed her to experience his emotions. That had been the break-through they'd needed to settle their negative past, and to give them both a crucial shot of courage where the other was concerned – at least enough to take this chance now.

"As long as Scorpius is fine with us being alone together, so am I," she braved. Caressing his cheek, watching as he turned into her touch, she smiled. "I want to know you, too, Veela. I care for you both."

He inched closer to her, drawing her into his embrace so that they touched at almost every point. His voice trembled as he spoke. "You _care_ for me. But you _love_ him."

Again, she was struck with how terribly insecure her Veela was, especially when it pertained to her feelings towards Scorpius. "Not yet, but it's close. But, Veela, I feel the same for both of you," she admitted.

He snuggled closer to her, his wings wrapping around them to cocoon her in silken sensation. "So, you don't want him more than me?"

"No, why would you think that?" she asked, tightening her hold on him, astonished by his question.

He moved back enough so they could look at each other again, but instead of meeting her gaze, he dropped his attention to her lips. "Because you wanted him when you were younger, and he was your first lover, and he's... human. When you look at him, you don't see a monster looking back at you."

An ache bloomed in Rose's heart.

"Veela, look at me," she bid. He lifted his eyes to hers with reluctance. "Yes, I was afraid of you at first. You know that. But it had nothing to do with your physical attributes." She reached out and touched the soft wings wrapping over his shoulder. "I like these Veela wings very much. Humans can't grow these - not without magic. They're absolutely beautiful, and they're the softest things I've ever felt." Her fingers caressed his cheek next. "And your eyes... I've never seen such breathtaking eyes. It's like looking at living mercury, always shifting and luminous like the moon. They're mesmerizing." She moved to his mouth and indicated he should open up. When he did, she traced down one of the sharp canines at the side of his mouth. "And these Veela teeth are... well, they're actually really sexy. Predatory, masculine."

"Sexy? They turn you on, then?" He seemed astonished by the compliment.

She blushed. "I liked the way they felt scraping over my throat in the dream."

He groaned at the memory, pressing his forehead to hers.

"In any case, I've never been physically afraid of how you look, and I don't see you as a monster," she finished her explanation. "Together, you and Scor are mighty hot, and I'm pretty sure you're well aware of what you do to me and every other female on the planet. I've never been immune to either yours or Scorpius' charms. What I was afraid of was the Veela mating magic and how it could so easily take away my will. It forces the mate to be connected with someone she doesn't know, and alters her feelings by using magic and pheromones so she'll desire a stranger. Being forced like that made me feel like _my_ will was insignificant - as if I didn't have any rights to my person. That the Ministry backs the idea that the mate must submit to the bond - even threatens her if she doesn't - only made the situation harder to accept. You know me; I don't like being told what to do. I like my control. Personal autonomy is important to me."

He nodded. "I know."

"So, then I hope you won't be upset when I admit that I'm still afraid of how much influence that magic may have over these feelings I have for you," she confessed. "I want this love growing in my heart for both you and Scorpius to be real and earned on its own, without outside influence. Does that make sense?"

"Yes."

She nervously ran her fingers over the curve of his shoulder as she talked. "And, I was afraid of being emotionally hurt by you and Scorpius, too. I didn't know you at all, and Scor... well, let's be honest: he hasn't been known as 'Mister Fidelity' in the news over the last several years. I know now _why_ monogamy wasn't on his menu - because of that compulsion you put on him just before you went back to sleep that night in our seventh year - but until tonight, I only knew what I saw or read in the news or heard as a rumour." She sighed. "The case against you both was pretty bad, you have to admit."

His wings drooped a bit as he mumbled his agreement.

"But, Veela, I need you to know that I've never hated you, or been afraid of the fact that you look different," she reiterated. "You're quite beautiful, actually. Like some kind of angel." She ran her palms over the curve of his shoulders and down over his biceps. "A shaggalicious angel who's naked... in my bed... lying on top of me. And not taking advantage of the situation yet, I might add."

He peeked down at her with silvery lust and a bit of amusement. His magnificent wings regained their spry enthusiasm, lightly flapped with excitement. "You asked about the flavour and scent I give off. It's natural. Because of the curse, we're sharing this form. When I woke up this last time, Scorpius' human body and magical aura changed, merging the Veela and the man together in such a way that we would become that which would attract our mate - you - in every way possible."

Rose arched an eyebrow at him, feeling a bit naughty. "Are you saying this" –she stroked once down the length of his gorgeous torso, flattening her palm over the solid muscles and tracing them- "is all for me?"

His wings lifted higher and spread wide, even as his eyes began to glow with molten silvery-gold light. "Until the day I die," he vowed.

Rose's heart gave a hard thump.

The Veela tossed her a sinful grin. "Unless of course you'd rather I just keep this bit of fun" -he guided her fingers down the plane of his ripped abs until she brushed against his hard, hot cock- "to myself?"

To her amazement, his comment made her chuckle, rather than set her off, as it might have before tonight. She wasn't intimidated any longer, she realized. Instead, she found him strangely amusing... and irresistible as hell.

"I could definitely like you," she murmured, teasing him back.

His smile fell. "And maybe love me?"

Her heart ached at the trepidation in his gaze.

"I think," she began, reaching up to trace over his nose, his lips, his chin, "I'm half way there already. Everything I know about you now - about _us_ - it's made me realize how important both you and Scorpius are to me, and how much it would hurt not to have either of you in my life. I'm... willing to try for more. Not the Marks yet, because of the baby issues and my career, but... if you'll agree to it, I want us to go exclusive – the three of us. I want us to make it work. I want our second chance, too."

There was heat and hope, along with a touch of arrogant male satisfaction reflected in his expression. "My mate," he growled with longing, sitting back on his haunches, pulling her up with him. His wings lowered so that the light from the window nearby shown upon her. "Will you let me take this off?" he asked, skimming his hands along the hem of her thin summer tank.

Rose nodded and lifted her arms.

In a smooth, slow glide, he stripped her of her top, tossing it away once it had cleared her fingertips. Her unbound breasts were fully exposed as he reached for her. Smoothing his palms up the sides of her waist, he cupped her tight, firm mounds between his big hands, feeling their weight and discovering their sensitivity.

A breath of pleasure was torn from her as his thumbs grazed her nipples, circling the areolas. Leaning back on her palms, she tossed her head on her neck and gasped louder as he repeated the motion. The arousal in her belly grew hotter, stronger. She felt flushed and oversensitive, every touch of his fingers like a stroke across her overheated pussy. "Oh!" she cried as he bent his mouth to her shoulder, pressing wet kisses, even as his fingers lightly pinched and stroked her taut nipples. "Feels so good. Don't you dare stop!"

"Won't," he promised, his soft lips and talented tongue tracing a wet path up the curve of her neck, stoking the fire across every nerve he touched.

Rose arched and moaned as her lover's head dropped lower, and as his lips wrapped around a breast, suckling with light pressure. The heat from his laving tongue had her hips minutely rising off the mattress, desperate to rub against the front of him.

How much different it felt to have his touch like this upon her in the real world; it was even more incredible than her dreams! The sensations were heightened; every stroke of skin-on-skin made her head spin and her body tingle. Between her thighs, her moist juices spilled over to saturate the front of her knicks.

An aroused growl rumbled from the Veela's throat. "I smell you getting hotter, babe," he murmured as he turned his attention to the other breast.

Another sultry wave of the Veela's unique scent poured off of him, wrapped itself around her, cocooning her in a rich, fragrant aphrodisiac. The pheromone sunk deep into her pores as he saturated her with it. She sighed with delight. The smell wouldn't last but a couple of days, her mum had explained – which was why the male Veela gave it off so often around his mate – but it was enough to let other Veelas in the area know she had already been emotionally and physically claimed by him, with or without the Three Marks. It was a warning for them to stay away - a temporary marking, of sorts.

"Any more of that and I'm never getting your scent out of my sheets or my hair," she quipped.

"Good," he purred, biting down on her breast with light pressure, leaving behind a love bruise. More of that combined "candy shoppe-sweet" fragrance filled the air as he rubbed his cheek against her nipple. "I want everyone to know I'm your mate." He glanced up at her through dark lashes and gave her a sexy smile. "And that you finally let me have you."

Her heart sped up under the cage of her ribs. "Okay, that shouldn't make me want to cream my knickers, but it does," she gasped.

His tongue peeked out and swiped once, twice over her taut, reddened bud, and then his wicked Veela teeth scraped over the sensitive point. "I'm dying to sink my teeth into you right here," he murmured, and wrapped his lips around the nipple to once more give it a hard suck. He released it just as quickly, pressing a kiss to it after to soothe. "When it's time, Rose, would you let me give you the Second Mark here, above your heart?" He grazed the spot again, careful not to puncture the flesh with his sharp canines. "That way, every time you stood naked before a mirror, you'd see it, and every time I was inside you, I could kiss it."

"Oh. God," she whimpered, the visual causing her body to clench with need. She'd been thinking about how it would feel to have him bite her.

After mating Draco Malfoy, her mum had told her all about the intense pleasure derived from the Second Mark. The thought of having her skin punctured and then a freaky type of venom pumped into her veins had frightened Rose before, but now, the way her Veela talked about the act of Marking with such reverence made it seem like something erotic and beautiful.

"Yes." The word was out of her mouth before she could stop it.

He smiled around a final kiss, and then lifted his mouth to hers. "Can I take these off?" he asked, slipping his thumbs into the edges of her knickers.

The Veela's polite consideration was touching. He was delivering on his promise to take things slowly, if she wanted. _He wants this first time to be perfect_, she realized. The thought melted the last of her reserve.

"Yes," she whispered, lifting her hips so he could slide the thin fabric off her thighs and down her legs.

Climbing back up her body, he fixated on the split of her thighs. "Spread your legs for me."

Her cheeks flaming, she swallowed her shyness and did as he asked, bending at the knees and opening up for him as she leaned back on her elbows. As the Veela reached out to stroke between her slick folds, she reminded herself of the fact that he'd already seen and touched this part of her person. Even though that had been a dream, it had felt very real to both her body and mind, and so there was no cause for embarrassment.

Instead of attacking her core with eager determination, as she'd anticipated, her Veela lover worshipped her with tender, barely-there caresses. She hazarded a glance at his face; he seemed completely enraptured by her feminine centre. His eyes were fever bright, his cheeks were rouged, and he licked his lips with excitement. His gaze assessed every inch of her core, as if... _He's memorizing you_, she caught on as he smoothed both of her fleshy, denuded lips wide and traced the edges.

"You're gorgeous here, and your scent makes me hungry," he murmured, moving his mouth forward and placing a sweet kiss across her mons.

A gasp was torn from her as his tongue darted out and gave a lashing swipe at the pouting lips of her sex. From just that small touch, bright tendrils of electricity sparked up her spine in tingling waves, causing the muscles in her vagina to ripple and her clit to pulse.

Her Veela groaned as the heady scent of sex rose between them. "I love this pussy," he murmured, lifting his lids and staring up at her over the length of her body as he began licking with slow, devastating results. "I want every drop of cream, Rose." He dropped to her entrance and circled the opening. "I want your juices flowing down my throat." His hands gripped her inner thighs with pressure. "Give me all your sweetness."

He dove in and feasted, and his ravenous intensity nearly knocked the breath from her. She fell back into her pillow in a long exhale, and her lover exploited the new angle by cupping her arse and lifting her to his devouring mouth. The black tips of his white wings bent forward to stroke over her nipples at the same time as he lapped over every inch of her cunt and thrust his tongue deep into her, fucking her with it to a hard, greedy rhythm.

Rose's world spun out of control. Ecstasy and agony melded, raced through her veins, the pressure steadily escalating towards what would promise to be a fiery combustion of sensation. Every stroke of his feathers, every suckle of his lips made the blooming desire in her womb spread until her toes curled from the pressure and her hands grasped the sheets under her in a white-knuckled grip. "Yes… my Veela!" she cried, reaching out to clutch his soft hair.

He speared his tongue into her and moaned with pleasure at her claim. "Mate," he growled as he licked up the divide with his silken tongue, making her thighs tremble with a powerful pulse, driving her to the very edge of sanity. "Say it again. Tell me I'm yours!" His demand was followed by his lips covering her engorged clit with such a heated, nipping pressure that incendiary liquid lust tore through Rose's system, ripping through what remained of her reason and logic. She screamed and shuddered, arching her back as she came in an explosive, mind-stealing rush.

"Mine! Oh God, you're _mine!"_ she shouted to the ceiling, the words torn from her very soul.

Her Veela lover caught her in a tight grip as he lapped at her core, groaning with satisfaction as he licked up every bit of her. He drew out her climax by stroking over her breasts with his soft feathers.

Caught in the storm of continuing sensation, Rose struggled to breathe. It was too much stimulation, and for a brief moment, dark spots swam before her vision. She was going to pass out! Merlin almighty, she'd never gone dark from sex before! She was going to lose consciousness if he didn't stop sucking so hard on her clit...

Sensing her sudden distress, her Veela released his draw on the tiny bundle of very sensitive nerves at the top of her slit, and rubbed a soothing hand over her belly, settling her throbbing, fluttering womb. His touch grounded and calmed her, even as he continued to lightly stroke over her rosy lower lips, lapping up the last of her release.

Slowly, Rose came down from the high. Her heart rate leveled out, her breathing eased, and her temperature cooled. The Veela loosened his hold on her. With a final kiss to her quivering clit, he climbed up her body. Silvery eyes filled with lust and love stared into her heart.

"Say it again, my pretty mate. What you screamed for me. Say it again."

Mouth suddenly dry, she swallowed to moisten it. "You're... mine," she whispered, beginning to truly believe it for the first time. "You're my Veela."

"Forever," he promised her, lowering his hips and sliding his thick, heavy shaft back and forth through her wet seam, slicking it up, provoking her sexual hunger once more.

Gods, how was it possible to want him again so soon? Usually, she was good for a day or so after an orgasm as intense as the one she'd just experienced, but her body was responding to him now as if it were hungry for more. As if one climax at his enticement hadn't been enough. Her hips rose to meet the gliding momentum of his pelvis, enjoying the torturous burn of renewing need each time he clipped her clitoris.

The dark gold curls surrounding his length soon became drenched by her arousal combining with his. He was so hard, shaking from head to toe with barely-suppressed desire. "I need to be in you now," he groaned as he lowered his pelvis and tucked his broad crown against her tender opening. "Can I?"

Rose nodded, so ready for them to do this.

Without further pause, he pushed forward through her small entrance. "I love you," he moaned as he penetrated her in a slow glide, "Mate… _I love you."_

A sob of pleasure-pain left Rose's throat as the wide head of his cock inched through the tight ring of skin, opening her up and stretching her to the limits of her comfort. Gods, he was so long and thick... no wonder it had hurt their first time!

Not wanting to recall how their first sexual experience had left her in tears in the afters, she pulled her Veela down to her, seeking his kiss, wanting them to be as physically close as possible during this moment. They both needed to forget that hurtful time, and tonight would give them a second chance to do so. Tonight, they would finally enjoy love-making without the regret.

To her amazed delight, her graceful lover filled her in a series of small, careful thrusts, each swell forward taking him deeper into her core. He paused only when he'd buried nearly the entirety of his substantial length within her, the end of him sensually caressing the back of her channel.

Pressing his sweaty forehead to the bend of her neck, he paused to give them both time to adjust. His sharp, panting breath was hot against her skin. His arms shook and his wings trembled, signaling that his reserve was barely contained, however. "Veela?" she whispered, concerned by his restraint, not wanting him to curb his desires out of some misguided fear of a repeat of her and Scorpius' first time.

Firmly, he shook his head. "It feels... _fuck, so good!_ I'm going to come," he warned her. "Don't move."

Oh, well, that was completely a different scenario than she'd assumed… and something she was in an excellent position to fix. Her fingers feathered through his soft, shaggy hair, and she rolled her spine to force her pelvis away and then back towards him, tightening her inner muscles around him at the same time, creating the perfect friction. "Come," she commanded. "Let go."

His whole body jerked forward, lodging him deeper inside her, and the shaking in his whole body intensified. "Not yet. You haven't-"

"Now," she countered, pressing nipping kisses to his throat and continuing her small pelvic thrusts. "Now, my Veela! I want to feel you come deep inside me. I want to feel you let go."

His bestial growl was loud, and beside her, the sheets tore from the strength of his grip. He pulled his hips back, slammed forward, swore loudly. He did it again. A third time and his wings gave a forceful downward flap, creating a powerful breeze that stirred things around the room. His back bowed as he pushed up onto the palms of his hands and threw his head back, roaring as he orgasmed, his hips sealed tightly to hers.

He was absolutely beautiful in his release. As the rushing warmth of his seed filled her, his triumphant cry was part feline, part raptor, and unlike any animal's call she'd ever heard. It was a conqueror's declaration, but also a joyous sound, as if he was proclaiming to the heavens that he had found his life's greatest satisfaction at long last. Every muscle in his body was taut as he held his position above her, attesting to his strength.

Silhouetted as he was against the backdrop of the moonlight coming through her window, Rose couldn't help but compare him again to a guardian angel.

His orgasm lasted longer than average, and by the time he had come down from the rapture, Rose could feel he'd filled her and saturated the sheets beneath them, too. She'd expected him to be exhausted by such a healthy release, as any male might be, but she quickly found out how very wrong she was in such an assumption.

Still holding the weight of his body off of hers, his broad shoulders hunched forward, he stared down at her with a dark, ravenous hunger. "Mate," he hissed, and pulled his hips back until only the head of him remained at the entrance of her body, poised and ready. _"MINE,"_he savagely declared, those curved canines of his bared with feral triumph.

He shafted into her then, watching her from above as he fucked her with strong, fast, deep strokes. Taken aback by the sudden, vigorous stimulation, Rose tossed her head back on her pillow and could do no more than wail her pleasure.

She'd wanted him to let go, and now that he was, it was too much sensation! He was utterly dominating her pleasure... and in doing so, owning her in a way she hadn't expected - a way her heart couldn't fight. With every touch, every kiss, every surge of his hips, her Veela mate reached deep inside her and melted away her secrets. With his mouth, his hands, and his beautiful cock he stole pieces of her very soul. He excited every nerve in her body, pushing the limits of her sensuality, causing her to beg, to plead for more.

Sweat dampened every crease of her body as he drove into her over and over, powering inside with a commanding force that left her nearly breathless. Oh, God... how had she lived without this? Why had she denied him for so long? He hadn't even fully mated her, and this was the Veela's first time having sex, and yet it was the most phenomenal sexual experience of her life!

Digging her nails into his biceps for purchase, she curved her lower body towards him, giving him the perfect angle to bring her screaming.

Even as her body flexed and clenched around his prodigious length with orgasm, he kept up the pistoning action, driving her into an immediate second, and then a third climax. Fire and lightning burned through her veins, crashed before her eyes, and shuddered through her core. It was a storm of shattering sensation that swept her mind away, leaving her heart a shredded, raw mess.

Rowena help her, but she was lost... so lost to him now. She felt naked and vulnerable, while at the same time, she felt protected and loved. She was terrified and yet, she wanted to laugh. Nothing in this world had ever felt as good or frightening as what he'd just done to her.

Drugged with pleasure and knocked off balance by the overwhelming surge of feelings, Rose burst into tears. "Veela!" she sobbed, needing an anchor to hold onto so she could restore her equilibrium, "Scorpius!"

His warm body covered hers, his strong arms held her tight, and his soft feathers caressed her skin. The cheering scent of chocolate and strawberries drifted around them, helping to calm her. "We're here, baby," Scorpius and his Veela both responded, their combined voices lulling and gentle. "We've got you."

She clung to him, burying her face in his neck, trembling from head to toe. "Oh, Scor… it was so good, and so scary, and… and _I flew!_ I flew so high, and it burned, and it was beautiful!"

And she was babbling like an idiot.

"Baby, it was amazing for us, too," he said softly, rubbing his cheek against her hair. He took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. "We didn't hurt you then?"

She shook her head, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

He nuzzled her ear, and gave an odd, contented trilling noise that vibrated against her throat. The sound made things low in her belly twist and her heart flutter. "Good. So, you liked making love to us, mate?"

Flushing, Rose nodded and let out a little laugh. "Absolutely, yes. I was insane for not doing this with you sooner."

He chuckled and kissed her head. "You had good reason, but you're right: you were mad to have resisted us this long."

She giggled at his audacious boast and snuggled deeper into his embrace.

Tucking his wings in, he rolled them onto their sides. As he moved, he was careful of his feathered appendages and of not disconnecting their bodies. She flung her leg over his thigh.

Sharing her pillow, they stared at each other in silence for a while, and she watched the minute shift as Scorpius moved to the back of their shared consciousness again. The shadows thickened, his hair grew longer, and his eyes were brighter. It happened in a blink, but Rose was beginning to recognize the change. It made it easier to know who she was talking to.

"I loved making love to you too, my Rose," the Veela admitted in a shy whisper. He reached out to grab a strand of her hair and played with it between his fingers. "It was..." He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. "Wonderful."

Placing her hand above the smooth skin over his heart, she felt the rhythmic beat, strong under her fingers. "Thank you for giving us the time to get to know one another like this."

One dark eyebrow twitched and his lids raised to half-mast. "It's what you wanted."

She nodded. "I know, but I also realize that it's hard for you to hold back. Veela biology compels you to claim your mate, you said."

"True," he confirmed around a yawn, "but I want your love, not your resentment." He threw his arm over her waist and pulled her closer. "That's all I've ever wanted, babe. That's what the bargain we made was all about."

She came wide awake at that, realizing that it was true: he'd been just as forced by the Veela bonding magic as she had been, but rather than fight it or give up in despair, he'd tried to make the best of their situation by negotiating for intimacies with her that would draw them together. He'd been trying to get her to fall in love with him before he'd Marked her.

But she'd already been falling in love with someone else then.

Corwin...

Crushing guilt made her shut her eyes and turn her face into the pillow.

She'd really done it this time: she'd cheated on the man who was still, for all intents and purposes, her boyfriend. She and Cor hadn't officially broken-up. There had been no discussion of them not seeing each other anymore. In fact, he'd left their last conversation ardently declaring he'd loved her, and begging her not to give into Scorpius yet.

Gods, she'd become the one thing she'd sworn she would never, ever be in a relationship: a dirty skin.

Gentle fingers touched the nape of her neck, smoothing down her spine. "What's wrong, babe?"

"I..." She stalled, turning slightly to glimpse his face from her peripheral vision. If she told him her thoughts, it would ruin the moment, and taint his memories of his first time. She didn't want to do that to him just to appease her own guilt. It would be wrong. Swallowing down her disgrace, she attempted a smile for him instead. "Nothing. Just tired. Feeling a bit vulnerable after such fantastic sex."

That was the truth as well, so she didn't feel bad using it as a buffer excuse.

As for Corwin, she would end things with him tomorrow. It was time to accept that what they'd had had no future. She was going to go exclusive with Scorpius and his Veela, as she'd offered earlier. Their hearts and bodies had been deemed by fate to be companions long ago, on the first day they'd both attended school at Hogwarts together. Fourteen years later, it was high time to make a real go at their souls mating, too.

Was she scared? Absolutely. Would she let that fear ruin what they could have together? No. If there was one thing she'd learned from her mother's own mating to Draco Malfoy, it was that second chances were rare and special things, and to waste them would bring nothing but the deepest regret.

"Will you... can you... give me the First Mark tonight?" she asked in a rush of breath.

The Veela's lazy lids abruptly snapped open, and he propped himself up on his elbow. "But you said you weren't ready for that just yet," he reminded her, Scorpius coming forward and combining with the Veela during this important discussion. Their conjoined voices carried the weight of both surprise and wariness. "You were explicit when you said you didn't want to be Marked tonight."

Rose licked her lips, staring into her lover's beautiful silvery eyes. "We have to combine blood for the First Mark to take, right? My mum said you split your bottom lip, and then split mine with your teeth, and that we kiss. Is that how it works?"

His breath was coming fast as he nodded, and the intensity in his stare spoke of a lusty hunger. "When we Transitioned, our blood was part of those changes we talked about, Rose. It carries an aphrodisiac designed to affect only you." His nostrils flared as he drew in a deep breath, scenting her growing arousal. "Before tonight, we might have been able to give you the First Mark without being tempted to go further, but now that we've had each other, we'll most likely both lose control and end up fucking like mad."

Well, that didn't sound so terribly bad. She'd already decided that sex with Scorpius and his Veela was beyond heaven and earth-moving...

White, curved canines flashed as he gave her a carnal smile, and said, "It'll be very difficult to stop from giving you the other two Marks with our cock buried deep inside that sweet pussy of yours once we've shared blood."

The proof of his excitement at that thought was currently steel-hard against her thigh.

"Oh," she replied, dropping her gaze in disappointment. She might have allowed the First Mark tonight, but the Second and Third Marks… no, not yet. "Well, then we shouldn't rush this. It's not like we have a wand to our heads or anything. We can take it slow."

He stared at her for a long while in silence before opening his mouth again. "Rose, we need to complete the mating within the next few months. If we don't..."

He abruptly sat up, turning so that he could bend both knees to rest his arms across them. A blink later, and Scorpius was alone in the body again. The Veela wings that seemed to be attached to his scapulae were magically vanished as if they had never existed. His hair was its usual short cut, and the shadows around his face and body disappeared. His skin lost its pearl-like luminescence, and his eyes returned to their typical matte shade of arctic grey. Everything else about him remained the same; his physique didn't shrink or grow. He was simply Scorpius Malfoy once more.

Which meant, he was still the most beautiful man she'd ever laid eyes on.

She could admit it now: she'd always found her childhood rival-slash-crush to be her physical ideal, and growing into his adult body had only made Scor more magnificent. He was simply gorgeous from top to bottom - a paragon of male sensuality and health. Every inch of him was strong with muscle, his features were a unique blend of charm and ruggedness, and his reputation spoke of a man with powerful sexual hungers who knew how to work what he had to maximum efficiency. According to the gossip rags, women threw themselves at him, literally.

Which was part of the problem. Her jealousy had always been an ugly thing where he was concerned. Truthfully, Rose didn't even want to know how many women had shared a bed with him. Something inside her would probably die from the knowledge...

He spoke to her then, his tone soft, contemplative. Rose focused not only on his words, but also on his expression and body language as he talked. If there was one thing she'd taken away from her confrontation with Eleri it had been that she'd been not just a terrible listener, but also someone who missed vital social cues during conversations because of her thoughtless disregard for the other person's feelings. She vowed that she wouldn't make that same mistake again.

"I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be a Veela mate since the Transition," he stated. "This whole thing has been confusing for me, too, Rose. There's so much I've had to adapt to, like sharing my brain and body with another entity. I've changed everything about myself, literally, in only a few weeks. The Veela's turned my world upside-down, too."

Rose sat up, clutching the cotton bed sheet to her chest, unsure if she should touch him or not, for fear of interrupting. She opted to wait and remain silent for the time being, instead.

Scor plucked at the covers with one hand, staring off into the distance. "I was really bitter at first about the whole Veela curse thing when my father explained it to me, and my Transition was _really_ hard. I was so violent and angry and filled with lust that night that I trashed my room and... well... I believe I know now why that happened: those were the repressed feelings of the Veela. Over the years, those feelings had built up and up - just like what happened to you when your fears had been repressed by the memory charm. When the Transition forced the Veela fully awake, the anger and desire were finally set free, and it was like a volcano exploding. At the same time, my body was changing to prepare itself for you - to make our magical auras resonate, to make my body stronger, and to slow the aging process." A sarcastic grin graced his cheek. "It wasn't pretty, and I definitely don't want to have to ever go through that again. How my father endured it a second time, I'll never know."

Rose frowned. "A second time? Oh, you mean with my mum!"

He nodded. "He must have really been desperate to have a second chance to be with her, because going through the Transition has to be the most painful thing a man can ever endure. It's like... being born, giving birth, _and_ going through puberty all at once, and in only a matter of an hour or three. There were moments in there I seriously wanted to _Avada_ myself to make it stop hurting."

Now she did touch him, her compassion rising to the forefront and causing her to hurt for him. Reaching out, she laid her hand on his shoulder. When he opened his arm and indicated that she should move closer, she did so without hesitation. Snuggling against his chest, she leaned on him, wrapping her arms around his torso.

"It's okay, baby," he murmured, kissing the top of her head. "It's done now."

"You mentioned something about needing to finish the mating soon," she reminded him, concerned by that comment. "What did you mean?"

His ribs expanded as he took a deep breath and then contracted as he let it out in a fast rush. "It occurred to me after a conversation I had with my father and grandfather earlier today that it took my dad three months to mate my mother, Astoria. I never really considered why until today, but I think I know now: it's because he was heartsick that he couldn't have the mate he'd really wanted - your mother. He was rejecting the mating alternative... and I'd bet anything that doing so was causing him pain, maybe even killing him." He reached out with his free hand and petted her hair as he rested his cheek against the top of her head. "Baby, the longer we go without Marking you, the more dangerous it is... for all of us."

"Dangerous, how?" A sickening, hollow finger of dread was beginning to grow in her chest. What did he mean? Would he sicken and die if she took too long to let him fully mate her?

He seemed to struggle within himself, as if he and the Veela were at odds over this subject; he'd gone stiff against her and against her ear, his heart was pounding under his ribs. He shuddered. A moment later, the brush of feathers curving around them, encompassing her in a white blanket of soft down alerted her to the fact that the Veela was back in control of Scor's body.

In a quick move, he had her turned and on her back, pressed into the mattress.

"Veela-?"

His lips covered hers, shutting down any protest. His tongue took possession of her mouth, thrusting and tangling around hers to a coaxing rhythm. A moan escaped her throat at his hard, relentless possession. This was not like the sweet, patient kissing they'd shared at the start of the night. This was primal, covetous - a claiming. The Veela was obviously intent on owning as much of her as he possible could before the sun rose in another hour or two.

His hand reached between them and ripped the sheet away, once more keeping her from hiding any part of her from him. The growl he made as his naked, hot body lay across hers was of pure sexual hunger.

"Mine," he rasped, pulling his mouth away, trailing wet kisses over her throat. His hands captured her wrists and pulled them up over her head, where he entwined their fingers. "You're _mine._" He ran a curved fang up her throat, careful not to puncture, just to tease. "Say it, Rose," he demanded as his lips hovered over her ear. "Say you're _my_ mate."

"Veela," she sighed, straining against him, the ache blooming between her thighs growing as his heavy cock rubbed against the top of her mons. His knees straddled the width of her hips, and his pelvis curled as he glided over her.

"Say it," he growled with heavier insistence. "Say you belong only to me."

She arched her spine and rubbed the taut points of her nipples against his chest. The friction was amazing, causing her pussy to spasm and her mouth to water. "You say you belong to me," she countered.

He dragged his mouth over the bottom of her jaw, and up her chin to buzz her lips. Through a half-lidded, lustful gaze he stared into her soul. "Give me your mouth, my female."

Her lids flared with suspicion, and her attention dropped to his lips. As she watched, he bit his bottom lip with one of his fangs, breaking the skin and causing blood to well to the surface.

Fear tightened her chest, and her eyes met his again. "You said-"

"I belong to you," he vowed. "Forever, only you, Rose."

Tears welled in her eyes. "I'm not ready for-"

Scorpius came forward to join the Veela then. "We'll only give you the First Mark, baby. Promise. We'll control ourselves no matter what it takes. Just... please... we need at least this much. Just this."

She hesitated as his tongue lapped over the cut, keeping the blood from dripping down his chin... down into her mouth.

"Rose, trust us."

There it was - the one entreaty that would make or break them.

The one expectation that had kept her and Scorpius Malfoy apart for so very long, and that had kept this mating from truly happening had been trusting each other. Could she do this? Did she dare? There would be no going back either way now that he'd made the request. If she accepted, she'd be one step towards irrevocably binding her life to his. If she declined, he'd be hurt by the rejection, which could destroy all the good they'd accomplished tonight towards a resolution of their long-held feelings.

Her heart poised on the edge of this life-sized cliff, terrified and trembling, knowing that this was their real second chance, right here. All she had to do was...

She lifted her chin and raised her lips for him to take.

Her lover's grip relaxed and his shoulders loosened. Very slowly, he dropped his mouth to hers, using his sharp canine to bite through the thin, pink skin of her bottom lip. "Love you, pretty mate," he whispered as he pressed them together and gave her the First Mark.

At first, Rose felt nothing but the sting of his slice, and the press of his mouth. A breath later, his mating magic wrapped itself around her much as her Veela's soft wings had earlier, and then melted through her skin and deep into her bones in waves of molten silvery heat. Liquid ecstasy ignited and flowed through her veins, causing her entire body to flush. Ribbons of electric desire whipped around her, making her earlier ardor seem tame in comparison.

This... this was soul-stealing magic, the kind that promised her endless nights of passion, of dark, sinful pleasures. It burned her, enveloped her will and her mind, and turned her into a creature of sudden, slavish sensation. "Oh, God!" she whimpered, panting for breath around his tender kiss, her grip on his hands tightening. Unconsciously, she arched into the body that Scorpius and his Veela currently shared, pressing their cores together. "What's happening? I can't... think."

"Don't," the conjoined voices crooned around pulls of wicked lips. "Just feel. Feel that you're our mate." The two men groaned as they pumped their tongue between her lips again and again. "Feel how much we need you. Feel the burn with us, baby."

Searing need lashed at her. She couldn't breathe as the fire of need consumed her. She _was_ burning up, just as her lovers were. "Scor, Veela... please!" she begged, straining against the body that covered hers. She was frenzied, crazed by the need to have him inside her. Whimpering, she opened her legs and tilted her pelvis up. His long, hard length slid into position, poised at her dripping wet entrance.

A rumbling growl vibrated through his chest as he tucked his wings in and rolled them so she was on top. "Fuck me," the Veela demanded, taking over Scorpius' body again. "Ride me, babe. Take me. Want me!" He angled his hips and locking their palms together, pushed her chest away from his using the formidable strength in his arms. As her upper body rose off of his, her lower body moved into the perfect angle to take him. He pressed inside her, parting her sore body, stretching her wide. She was so wet, so slick that his penetration was smooth as silk.

Tiny mewls of pleasure broke from Rose's throat, as every inch of him slowly filled her snug pussy. Her sex rippled around him with small tremors as she fought to hold back the orgasm that threatened to take her. He wasn't even fully inside yet, and she was going to come! "God... I'm going to... Veela!"

"Come for me, Rose." His hips flexed and with a surge upwards, he forced his cock deep into her, until he was at last buried to the hilt. "Come hard, babe. Give it all to me."

She did. She climaxed with a scream the instant his broad crown caressed the back of her channel, throwing her head back and giving herself over to the explosion of light and heat that wrenched her sanity away. Everything inside of her clenched, her body throbbing around his heavy erection as she jerked back and forth on him, fucking him even as she came.

A primal snarl left her lover's lips, his lips pulled back and his sharp canines flashed again, and then he began to move beneath her. With astonishing power, his hips thrust upwards into the clenching depths of her vagina, rocking into her very core. Letting go of her hands, he gripped her waist to hold her steady as he took her harder, faster. Whipping spirals of pleasure tore through her and all Rose could do was hold on, bracing her hands on his straining pectorals and ride out the storm of his lust.

"Say you're my mate," he demanded again, his chest heaving and his body shaking as he shuttled into her from below. "Tell me that no one else will ever touch you like this! Promise it, Rose, before I lose my fucking mind!"

"Yes," she hissed with pleasure, digging her fingernails into his skin, feeling the swelling in her clit as her arousal was once again kindled to life. "I'm yours. I don't want anyone else like this, just you and Scorpius." She stared down into the heart of him, his silvery gaze filled with a rapturous pleasure and pain, and spoke from the heart. "I'm falling so deeply in love with you that it scares me. I've never felt this before."

His strokes slowed as he reached up to cup her cheek. "My mate..." He closed his eyes and shuddered, fighting to regain control. "Come here."

She bent low over him, allowing their upper bodies to touch again. Below, he continued to pulse up into her in a rocking motion that was more loving now, less about burning hot, and instead about smoldering to completion. The power of the First Mark continued to wash over her, but her body was guided by his now, and he was showing remarkable restraint.

His arms wrapped around her and in a quick roll she was back underneath him. His white wings with their black tips flared wide, enveloping them as they held each other close. He continued to pump his hips, but the urgency had abated, presumably as a result of her confession. Now he took things slower, making love to her with tenderness.

Relaxing into his seduction, Rose parted her thighs and raised her hips to meet his thrusts. Her arms wrapped around his neck and smoothed through his long, silky hair. That odd trilling-purring noise returned as he bent his mouth to hers and kissed her with love and with heat. His tongue wrapped around hers and danced with slick, erotic intent.

She shivered, feeling the sweat between her thighs dampen the hair of his legs and the flood of moisture gathered between the folds of her pussy soaking the curls surrounding his cock. Securing her hold on her Veela lover, she wrapped herself around him, locking her ankles at the sway of his back. He groaned as she tightened around him.

"Pretty mate," he sighed, surging harder into her. "So hot and sweet. I love fucking you. I love making love to you." He nipped her bottom lip, rubbing their blood together again, causing a resurgence of the aphrodisiac's power to soar through her veins. "I love _you._"

"Veela," she cried, arching against him as the desire returned full force. "It feels so good! More, please!"

His dark chuckle was wicked and filled with promise, even as his hips continued their steady pace. "As much as you need. Forever, Rose."

He continued to torture her with controlled thrusts, bringing her two more times by caressing over her clit with his thumb, changing the angle that he sunk into her, and circling his hips. He was very careful to keep his mouth away from her throat and her breasts, she noticed, avoiding the temptation to give her the Second Mark. Riding an aphrodisiac-tempered wave to make sure she was sexually aroused was one thing, but having her whole body and aura changed to prepare it to accept a Veela child wasn't something she was quite ready for yet.

When he finally joined her as she reached another peak, that animal-like cry was drawn from his throat once more, and his wings expanded to their full glory, beating strong and causing a picture on her wall to fall to the floor from the force of the air currents he created. He came deep inside her again in an explosion of wet, sticky heat that overflowed her channel and bathed their thighs as it seeped out between their connected bodies.

Thoroughly exhausted as the rays of the rising sun streaked through her window, suffusing the room in shades of pale pinks and golds, signaling the end of their long night, they collapsed together. Her Veela kissed her damp brow, and was careful to tuck his wings around her and pull her into him as he rolled them onto their sides. Rose yawned and snuggled against his chest, loving that he rested inside of her still, keeping them coupled.

"_My_ mate," he tiredly muttered with satisfaction and relief as his breathing evened out, his heart slowed, and sleep finally took him. He began lightly snoring a second later.

Rose smiled. "I love you, too," she whispered.

Even if he couldn't hear it, it felt good to say it. It felt _right_.

Just as she slipped into the comforting darkness herself she heard that lulling trill-purr issue from his chest, and felt his wing stroke against her cheek in a loving caress.

* * *

_**TO BE CONTINUED...**_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

**a Skin (female)/a Skinner (male) = Newest British slang for a person who cheats in a relationship. I'm told it's derived from the idea that to be cheated on is like being skinned alive - very painful, and so the person who commits this sin is referred to as a "dirty skin" or a "rotten skinner"**_**.**_

**.**

**So, what did you think, dear readers? Was it everything you were hoping for? Was it hot/sexy enough for you, or did it fall flat?**

**Oh, but don't stop reading now! There's still much more to come in this story. It's already outlined to completion, you know. Here's a sneak peak of the next few chapters for you...**

**.**

_"I'd like to know what you meant when you said last night that we needed to finish the mating soon."_

.

_"So what do you plan to do about Corwin now?"_

_"I have to tell him that it's over between us. It's going to hurt him, but it's the right thing to do."_

_._

_"No, don't do this, Cor, please! Stop!"_

_._

_"I smell him on you. I smell his seed inside you! You let him fuck you! You let him have what was ours!"_

_._

_"Merlin Almighty, Petal, what-? Who did this to you? Good God, are those... bite marks?"_

_"Grandpa, I need mum! Please get mum!"_

_"__His Veela... he went mad..."_


	15. Chapter 12: Survivor of Schism

**Author's Notes:  
**

**A big, Big, BIG 'THANK YOU' to Unseenlibrarian for beta-ing this chapter in record time, despite her busy schedule. Please be sure to thank her in your reviews, dear readers! She deserves mountains of praise... and a tin of choco biscuits or two! ****:)**

* * *

_**CHAPTER TWELVE: Survivor of Schism**_

_**Thursday, July 10th, 2031 (early morning)**_

Scorpius woke up to Rose sliding out of his embrace and leaving the bed.

Squinting against the late morning-early afternoon daylight coming in through the windows, he yawned and stretched. "Where you going, baby?" With a sleepy focus, he was dismayed to see his woman was already, partially dressed, a clean white bra and matching knickers covering her best parts. "Better not be a hot date."

"Well, yes, my mum is certainly hot, but no, we're not dating," his witch joked. "She owl'd me last night after dinner about meeting up with her for brunch today." Her hand furiously worked a brush through her shoulder-length, wavy hair. "I'll just make it at this rate." She tossed her brush onto a small vanity desk, and rushed into her narrow walk-in closet to pull out an outfit. "And I have Quidditch practice at three, so I won't be back until at least seven or eight."

"No dinner together, then?" he asked, somewhat disappointed, but determined not to let it get him too down. "How about I come by later tonight for some dessert, instead?" He wagged his eyebrows at her suggestively.

Rose chuckled as she threw on a matching turquoise two-piece, and slipped on a pair of summer sandals to fancy it up. "You're insatiable and are going to wear me out at this rate." Reaching for an earring on her dresser, she clipped the small, gold hoop through her lobe. "Does eight-thirty work for you?" He nodded and she threw him a dazzling smile. "Good. I'll meet you here, then. And thanks for understanding about dinner."

Scorpius sat up on his elbows. "Why wouldn't I? You've got a life outside of this mating, and I don't want to take that from you, Rose. I want to be a part of it."

Her eyes lifted to his as she put on the other earring. "I appreciate your willingness to compromise. I know I've reiterated it to death, but it means a lot to me that you respect my personal space and want me to be a partner in the mating, not just some female to bang and make babies with."

Now he sat up straight in the bed, mentally checking on his Veela at the same time. The beast inside was out cold, having shagged itself into blissful unconsciousness, and he didn't think it would be rousing any time soon. Perhaps now would be a good time to finish their discussion from last night, then. The Veela had slyly cut the both of them off from delving deeper into the issue of the Mating's completion by seducing its mate a second time, using a classic distraction technique to hide its fear and to keep Rose in the dark about the truth of the mating imperative. Scorpius understood the reasoning behind its decision, but that didn't mean he agreed with his other half about lying to his mate. Keeping such important details – information she _had_ to know - would damage the trust between them, he knew, and only serve to anger and drive her away. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

Besides, he doubted Rose had forgotten their interrupted conversation last night, or that she'd let it go for long. She was dogged in her determination to know _everything_, and eventually, when she had a moment, he knew she'd bring the topic up again. Beating her to the punch and volunteering the information might go a long way in assuring the blow would be lessened.

Still, he was worried about her reaction.

"Yeah, about that. There's something you should know-" he began, but Rose beat him to the punch, her mind arriving at the exact same thoughts as his quicker than he'd anticipated.

"I'd like to know what you meant when you said last night that we needed to finish the mating soon." She was staring at him with such earnestness, and Scorpius stalled, unsure how to explain things to her so it wouldn't frighten her. "Will _you _tell me, since my Veela obviously doesn't want me to know?" she asked. A small crease worked its way between her brows. "Last night, he shut us both down when we started talking about it. I'm going to guess the truth disturbs him, and he doesn't know how to handle it."

He felt fear punch through his gut. "He's... don't be mad at him, yeah? He's really trying."

Her eyes softened. "I know he is. I'm not mad. I just... don't want him to think he can't tell me everything."

Scorpius rubbed the back of his head, ruffling his short hair. "Honestly, Rose, I'm not sure you're going to like the news, so I can relate to his fear. I... this is... it's a really big deal. A game changer, as they say in Quidditch."

She stiffened, and her eyes strayed to the clock on the small table next to her bed. Her lips went taut, forming a straight, white line across her face, and it was clear from her tightened features that she was uneasy about what he had to say after such a pronouncement. The moment was tense, the atmosphere between them charged with nervous energy. Scorpius held his breath, waiting for her to give him to go-ahead to spill his guts, wondering what thoughts raced through her head in those long seconds.

"Tell me," she bid, clamping her lips shut and staring at the rumpled bed sheets. "Just... do it. All at once. Like ripping off a plaster."

He let out all the air in his lungs, took another deep lungful in, and told her the truth. "There are other Veela going through the Transition this year, according to my grandfather. Your cousin, Louis, will be twenty-five in October. He and I... we weren't friends in school, but I do know his mother is part Veela, so he might have enough of the Veela blood in him to follow the instincts for mating. And then, I've heard there's his mother's sister's son, who is the same age, too. Same deal. I don't know of any others, but... those men are a real threat us being together, if they decide upon you as a mate, too." He met her wide-eyed stare. "Rose, unless I give you the Second and Third Marks, and finish this mating between us soon, another Veela can claim you at any time, if they want you - and they might not be so considerate of your demands for them not to force the Marks on you. It would be rape, and it would be a permanent bond. 'Til death do you part."

Rose's jaw went slack. She opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. "But I thought there was only one mate for each..." She paused, her eyes going glassy as she turned to inward thoughts. "Oh. Hell."

Knowing her as well as he did, Scorpius knew exactly what logic leaps that amazing brain of hers had just made: Rose wasn't currently dead, infertile, or pregnant – the only things that would make a female non-viable for a male Veela's mating instinct. He was sure her mother had told her at least that much. That meant she was vulnerable as things stood... and it seemed she finally was beginning to understand the real level of her exposure, and the potential dangers.

Stubbornly, she shook her head. "You're assuming Louis or Tomas, Gabrielle's son, would want me. There's no guarantee I'd even be a candidate for either of them. I've only met Tomas once, and Louis... he's my first cousin."

Scorpius shrugged. "Maybe you're right. Maybe neither of them is the least bit interested in you." He looked up and met her eye without flinching. "But if one or both are, they could take you from me. If I caught up to them in time, it would be a fight to the death. If not... they could mate you before I could stop them. The First Mark isn't enough to prevent their claim."

Rose was clearly puzzled by that. "I thought... the First Mark changed me. What was the point of giving it to me, if not to bind me to you?"

Recalling the information about the Marking that he'd learned over time from his father and grandfather, Scorpius pieced those bits of conversation together to give his lover a more thorough explanation. "The First Mark's only purpose is to inflame a mate's lust so she'll want to accept the Second and Third Marks from the Veela. It doesn't actually do anything to the female aside from pump her full of an aphrodisiac, making her incredibly horny. That combined with the flavour of strawberries and chocolate that passes through my tongue into your mouth and the pheromone that's pumped through my skin into the air with the same scent are all designed to appeal specifically to you. They're tricks in my seduction kit, if you will... like scented candles, fine wine, and chocolate cheesecake."

Her lips twitched in amusement at such a simplistic comparison. "Times a million," she joked.

"But those things also serve a function, too: to make it clear to all and sundry that a Veela intends to mate you," he continued. "The scents and flavours I give off saturate your skin, your hair, your nose, and your taste buds, and they linger for days afterwards. They're a warning to other Veela to stay the fuck away, because I've claimed you as mine. The aphrodisiac in my blood makes you compliant to my intended seduction, like a lust potion. Baby, if you hadn't set down the rule that I was only to give you the First Mark last night, the Veela and I would have given you the Second and Third Marks, too... and you'd now be safe from being bonded to another Veela that may want you."

"I'd also be pregnant," she pointed out, losing her good humour. She fiddled with one of her earrings in a nervous gesture. "The day after your dad mated my mum, she and I talked. She told me that the only time a Veela would pass on its first choice for a mate is if the woman was 'unobtainable or unfit' at the time of the Transition. Because my mother was pregnant with me, your father couldn't claim her twenty-six years ago. So, it would be the same... if you gave me the last two Marks, I'd be pregnant. I'd be changed, permanently. No other Veela would want me, and I couldn't be with them, because I'd be completely attuned to you once the mating was done, like you are to me already."

"Right," Scorpius confirmed. "The First Mark is meant to incite lust in you, so you'll accept the Second Mark. The Second Mark changes your body similarly to how the second phase of the Transition changes mine. The difference is your changes aren't about making your body stronger or faster to protect a mate, but to make sure your body is ready to conceive and carry a Veela child. You hardly notice those changes, though, because your body's so consumed by lust from the First Mark."

She nodded. "That's kind of what mum told me, too." She ran her fingers in nervous, circular patterns over the sheets. "She said my body would immediately go into ovulation once I take the Second Mark, dropping an egg into position in my uterus during the initial mating. She told me that the Third Mark was the actual conception of our baby – when your sperm and my egg join to form our son's life. I get the mechanics of it all; I just didn't put it all together. That is, until the Second and Third Mark happen, I won't really... well, be _yours._"

"Now do you understand why the Veela is so scared?" he asked, leaning back against the headboard. "My grandfather says there are too many scents in the air of Veela lately, and he can't discern where they're coming from. If there are other men close by with Veela blood running through their veins, and if they are the right age, they _could_ be feeling the instincts for mating and breeding. Like Louis and his cousin. If one of them decides on you, he knows that the First Mark isn't enough to hold you to us."

Raising her eyes to his, Rose held his gaze. "I don't need any marks for that."

He ran a hand over his hair, mussing it even more. "You might not, but Veela do."

"Louis isn't a pure-blood Veela. He's only an eighth," his mate pointed out. "It's the same with Tomas. Surely that's not enough of a connection for either of them to have a Veela's urges."

Scorpius ran a hand over his eyes. "If their lineage is potent enough, they could actually go through a type of Transition, too. It wouldn't be exactly like the Malfoy ritual, because our inheritance is based on Theodosis Black's curse and as a result, our Veela are all pure-blood, undiluted over the generations by interbreeding with humans, but it could be close enough for them to be able to give you the First and Second Marks. If that happens... we'd lose you."

"You won't lose me," she said in a very quiet, firm voice, and for the first time, her expression was completely open, letting him see into the very heart of her. What he saw enchanted him.

There was lust, and clear affection shining in her wide, blue eyes. There was fear, but also exhilaration in the slight parting of her lips. And there was tenderness and need conveyed in every breath and in the graceful posture of her body... need for him.

Rose sat before him, emotionally naked and raw, trembling and awkward, but utterly sincere, and Scorpius was once again overwhelmed by her courage and beauty.

"I love you."

It took no thought to say such powerful, transformative words to her. They simply rolled off his tongue, as natural as could be, without posturing or rehearsal or concealed intent.

The tension seemed to melt right off her shoulders, and a moment later, her smile trembled to brilliant life. Hopping up onto her knees on the mattress, she crawled over to him, keeping her shoes off the bedding, and pressed a quick kiss to his mouth. Then, she moved in for another... and another.

"Scor..." she sighed in pleasure.

No, he didn't expect her to say she loved him back just yet. He knew they'd overcome a lot of the misunderstandings over the past few days, but there was still a lot of work to do to win her over. It was folly to think one night of incredible sex would erase years of hurtful words and actions on his part. Still, Scorpius was a tad disappointed, especially knowing she'd so freely given those same words to his Veela just before nodding off to sleep in the early hours of the morning. He'd heard her confession then, and couldn't help the bit of jealousy that had burned through him, wishing she'd said she'd love _him_ as well.

"I should really go," she stated even as she kissed him again, this time lingering a little longer and slipping him a sly, naughty tongue. "Really, I should."

"Mmmm," he agreed, but didn't make a move to stop her as she leaned in again and claimed his lips once more with growing fervency.

"Damn," she cursed around another teasing pull. "Kiss me back, Scor."

"If I do, you'll miss brunch with your mum," he promised, remaining absolutely still, letting this be her choice. "I'm horny and have raging morning wood, in case you missed the show under the covers. That's not a good combination to rouse if you want me to respect your space, baby."

Rose let her tongue swipe over his again, attempting to coax him into taking charge, but Scorpius refused to be baited. If his lover wanted him, _she_ was going to be the one to decide. Frankly, he didn't want her blaming him later for missing a meeting with her mother because he'd shagged her into the mattress.

Realising that he could match her stubbornness, his aroused, little mate swore under her breath, said something to the effect of, "to hell with it," and in a quick move, she kicked her sandals off and was in his lap. Her mouth was hot and desperate against his. Surrendering to her domination, he kissed her back with a matching passion.

Well, it wasn't as if he hadn't warned her...

His Veela came awake in the middle of the writhing and rubbing, joining them by coming up alongside Scorpius' consciousness. He felt the shifting of their minds as they accommodated each other, melding together once more. "Mate," they sighed in between pulls of lips, rolling her onto her back so they were on top. "Our Rose…"

"You're messing my… mmm… my hair," she gasped around his heated mouth.

As one entity, Scorpius and his Veela slid their fingers over one of her breasts, cupping it, kneading. "That's the idea," they shared the thought, caressing her nipple into a tight, straining point. Rose moaned, arching into their touch.

Slipping their hand down, they snuck under the snug tie of her dressy summer shorts, under the band of her soft knickers, and sunk a finger deep into her velvety wet heat. God, she was slick and ready for them again, her hips rolling into their thrust with eagerness. Her fingernails dug into their shoulders, urging them on. Their cock ached from the knowledge that she wanted them as much as they did her, their pulse pounding in the plump head as it strained towards her once more.

Simply being oversexed didn't describe this insatiable need that burned through them. It was their Rose that drove them to heights of madness unimaginable, tangling up their emotions, enslaving them as assuredly as they were capturing her.

They pumped a finger in and out of her, adding a second when she made this adorable whining noise in the back of her throat, wordlessly begging for more. "We'll miss you, mate," Scorpius and his Veela whispered in her ear together, their conjoined voices echoing the sentiment in their combined hearts. "Will you miss us?"

Her fingernails rasped across their skull as she feathered through their hair. "Yes," she admitted with a whimper, arching into them. Her lips sought a continuous connection with theirs, ravenous for their kiss. "Give me your taste," she pleaded. "I want your taste in my mouth all day."

With a shiver of anticipation, Scorpius' Veela released a bit of his hold on the mating aphrodisiac, and the flavour of strawberries and chocolate melted across their tongue. He was very careful, Scorpius noted, not to unleash the full weight of his sexual magic, though, only letting slip a small portion, knowing Rose was frightened of being overwhelmed.

Their mate's response was predictable: she gave a small cry, and then yielded to her heightened desire. Their fingers were glossed with her sticky, sweet essence as she came in a shaky sigh.

It was an easy matter then to slide her shorts to her ankles, along with her knicks, and to mount her. Knees braced to either side of her legs, they slid between her thighs and entered her in one claiming stroke, sinking deep.

Rose gave a long, loud moan as they prolonged her climax, their pelvis rubbing against her clit with each rocking surge forward and back. Her fingernails scored their hips, their shoulders, and their back as she held onto them in any way she could and gave herself over to them.

Scorpius and his Veela watched the changes in her expression as she came down from her orgasm only to climb towards a second one. They marvelled over their witch together.

_She's beautiful,_ his Veela thought with some measure of awe in his tone.

_I've always thought so,_ Scorpius agreed. _Very beautiful, inside and out. I love her. _

He felt his Veela's feral heart tremble at that admission, knowing the beast was having difficulty accepting that anyone else should feel such things for its mate.

_We can do this, right? _He asked with genuine concern, realising that he and the Veela had to come to an agreement about this one vitally important detail or the whole mating could be blown. _We can love her together. It can work. It's working right now just fine. What do you think?_

Rose tightened her grip on him. "My Veela! Scorpius!" Sweat beaded upon her upper lip as she concentrated on the sensations driving her higher, closer to her euphoric release. "Please, _please!"_

The Veela was silent for a bit, concentrating on loving its mate while considering the situation. Finally, it gave a deep sigh. _She calls your name, too,_ it said with some measure of bitterness. _Calls you like she calls for me._

_She wants us both, _Scorpius pointed out the obvious.

_Fine, _it conceded at long last, resigned acceptance in its tone. _But no one else,_ it warned with a growl.

Scorpius gave a mental nod. _Agreed. _

It was done, then. They'd all three come to a place of compromise and the mating could happen as soon as Rose gave the go-ahead for the Second and Third Marks.

"Ours," he and his Veela pronounced with triumph in one unified voice, and then proceeded to prove that sentiment to Rose for the next hour, bringing her to climax after climax, unconcerned for the state of her hair or her clothing… or of the time slipping by as the morning sun crawled across the sky to its highest point at noon.

As their mate lay in their arms in the afters, sweaty and very sated, she gave a tired chuckle. "So much for brunch with mum."

Scorpius and his Veela nuzzled against her hair. "We'll send her flowers in apology," they promised.

**X~~~~~X**

Rose left him for Quidditch practice at some point that afternoon. Scorpius felt her drift from his arms, but exhaustion swamped his senses, and so it wasn't until much later, as the sun was low in the sky that he awoke to realise how many hours had slipped past and that the bed was cold without her.

In his head, his Veela was down for the count, having exerted too much of itself over the last day, so he felt it best not to prod the sleeping beast for a talk. Instead, he got up, gathered his jeans, slipped them up his legs and secured them, and used Rose's Floo to get home.

His grandfather was sitting in a chair opposite the hearth at the Manor when he arrived, and it was apparent by the positioning, that the man had been there for quite some time, waiting for Scorpius to come home.

The moment the green flames died down from the Floo and the ash dispersed into the air, Lucius took a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. A pale eyebrow quirked in curiosity at what he discovered from Scorpius' scent. "You gave her the First Mark," the man commented, "but not the others."

There was a definite question implied in the man's statement.

Scorpius nodded, still uncomfortable speaking with his grandfather, especially after yesterday's revelations in the garden. "We've all three come to a compromise on the situation. It's a good place for us."

Lucius tutted. "You're too much like your father."

For the first time in his life, Scorpius felt proud to be compared to Draco Malfoy. His father had walked through fire to find a place of equilibrium with his Veela and true happiness with a mate, and Scorpius was just beginning to understand how much sacrifice and work such a thing entailed.

Raising his chin, he acknowledged with pride, "That I am."

The Malfoy patriarch rose to his feet, gripping his cane. "That wasn't meant to be a compliment in this case. My son's stubbornness has almost cost him his life on a few occasions in the past, most especially during his first mating." Lucius poked him in the belly with the blunt end of his walking stick. "If he had not claimed your mother within the allowable year-long courtship period, the magic of the curse would have turned on him and ended his life. Worse, he risked the possibly of another Veela interfering in his mating, should one have come knocking on Astoria's door, seeking her out. It would have been a fight to the death, then. You should not repeat such foolishness. Woo your mate after the bonding is completed. There will be plenty of time once she's officially yours."

Scorpius frowned. "Wait a minute. What do you mean the curse would have turned on him?"

His grandfather's ice-grey stare froze his bones. "Don't be dense, Scorpius. It doesn't suit you."

"I'm not," he protested, baffled by what his grandfather had just revealed. "I've just never been told there's a drop-dead date on mating before. I mean, I guessed _something_ had prodded Dad's sudden flip-flop regarding accepting my mother as a second choice mate just three months after his transition, and I thought it might have something to do with the illness I've heard mentioned Dad had contracted around that same time period, but are you actually saying that _his Veela_ would have ended Dad's life if he'd continued to refuse the mating?"

"That is exactly what I'm saying."

"And the same thing could happen to me?" he asked.

Lucius rolled his eyes. "It's the same curse, so the answer should be quite obvious."

Throwing up his hands, Scorpius' anger boiled to life. "You neglected to tell me that this could happen – why?"

"Because we all assumed you'd have simply claimed the chit by now," the Malfoy patriarch growled at him. "You've never been one to fail at charming women into your bed, Scorpius. No one expected you to have had such difficulty doing so with the one woman in the world who shouldn't have been able to resist you. If you'd only applied your magical talents toward the endeavour-"

"I want Rose to come to accept this mating because she wants to, not because I'm forcing her to," he snarled, cutting his grandfather off. "Using Veela magic to make her submit is no different from raping her will. In that, I agree with Rose. I will not brutalize her and end up no different from the fucker who begat this curse upon our family centuries ago!"

Lucius' black temper flared, but before he could open his mouth to reply, Scorpius' grandmother was suddenly there, restraining her husband with a hand on his arm.

"Perhaps it would be best if I were to speak to him, husband," she calmly stated.

Biting back the words he'd been prepared to say in anger, his grandfather instead closed his trap, kissed his wife on the cheek, then turned on his heel and stormed out. The door from the Drawing Room into the long hallway beyond slammed shut behind him.

"He hates me," Scorpius said with complete assurance as he kept his attention fixed on the door. "Just like he hates father."

His grandmother sidled up to him, taking his arm and leading him towards the opposite end of the room, towards the stairs that led down into the manor's foyer. "Nonsense. Quite the contrary," she stated with absolute certainty. "He loves you both more than you could possibly imagine. It's the reason he's so worried about your mating... and Hermione's pregnancy." She lifted the hem of her long, fashionable robes as she carefully made her way down the stairs. "Your grandfather is a hard and stern man, Scorpius, and conveying his concern or love with flowery words isn't in his nature, but it's there all the same. You just need to know where and how to look for it."

As they reached the bottom step, his grandmother guided him towards the front door. Apparently, she intended on an evening stroll through the front gardens. With a wave of his wand, the massive oak door opened and they passed through, startling an albino peacock in its wanderings. The bird hurried off, its long tail feathers dragging behind.

"What did he mean," he asked, breaking the silence between them, "about the Veela having enough power to kill Dad if he hadn't mated Mother in time?"

His grandmother's lips pursed together in a tight line as she considered how best to answer him. "From everything I've come to understand about the curse since mating your grandfather fifty-two years ago, the initial Transition that Malfoy men undergo at the age of twenty-five is not just a requirement for preparing to find and win a mate, but also a series of events meant to magically bind the Veela to _you_. Specifically, as the host, you are responsible for keeping its more savage nature under control, and binding it to you with a specifically crafted magical ritual accomplishes that goal." She gave him a wry smile. "The Transition is a partial taming of the beast, as it were, to keep its feral nature under some semblance of control. However, as Lucius has explained it to me, the Transition is by no means a _complete_ chaining of your Veela."

Pieces of the bizarre puzzle of his family curse began to click together in Scorpius' head then. "Taking a mate finishes the process, doesn't it?" he asked.

His grandmother nodded. "Mating focuses a Veela in a way nothing else can. It forces him to commit all of his efforts towards the biological impulse to nurture a mate and to breed with her, rather than rampaging through life, aimless and confused as to a higher purpose. It civilizes him, and forces him to exist within the realm of human law to keep his mate safe and content. In so doing, it keeps him from becoming a true monster. Towards that end, he will do whatever he must to assure the mating takes place and is successful in as quick a time as possible."

Scorpius turned that information over in his head. "You're saying that if the Veela's host denies a mating, like my father almost did, the Veela inside will take steps to… what, punish him?"

His grandmother tilted her head to the side as if in partial agreement. "It is not punishment, _per se_, but a strong survival instinct that forces the Veela to act against its host. From how Draco explained it, the longer the mating to Astoria went without happening, the more feral the Veela within him became. It began to slowly drain his life force when it became clear that no amount of its reasoning, begging or pleading had moved Draco's heart. It had hoped to weaken him enough to simply step up and take over his body. Once it had accomplished that, it would simply have mated Astoria without your father's input."

"Sounds more like physical blackmail to me," he dryly stated. "'Mate her or I'll put you in a coma and take over the body.'"

"It could have been much worse," his grandmother stated. "Hermione postulated that if Draco had not relented, and he'd stubbornly let the courtship period lapse, his body could have been severely weakened, and unable to sustain both he and his Veela's life energies. His Veela's savage nature would have then taken control to assure its survival. It could have gained autonomy, turned on my son, and devoured him, using Draco's life energy to subsist. Without my son's moral compass to guide it, however, his Veela would then have killed everything in its path in its madness. The Ministry would, naturally, have been required to step in and destroy him at that point using an iron dart dipped in poison. It's the only way to bring down a fully feral Veela."

Holy. Shite.

Shocked by the scenario of what might have been, Scorpius' mind spun in circles, leaving him speechless for a moment. The very thought of his Veela having that kind of power over him suddenly made him extremely nervous. Controlling his body at times was one thing, but... causing him to wither and die? Devouring his life energy?

Jesus Christ.

"I have seen a Veela's savagery myself, twice. The first time was when Lucius' mother, Madeline, died. Your great-grandfather, Abraxas, went into a state of such fury that we were afraid we would have to put him down. However, he came out of it soon after the Ministry sent a Healer from St. Mungo's to evaluate him. The second time was when your mother passed," she continued, "your father's Veela nearly went mad. It was only by the interference of Hermione that your father's Veela returned to a state of control."

"Because it recognised her, and knew there might be a second chance for them in the future. Hermione gave Dad and his Veela hope."

"I believe that to be true, yes."

They stopped in their walk at the fountain at the end of the gravel trail. The figure in the centre of the magical sculpture was of a swan and its mate facing each other, their foreheads pressed together. The graceful arch of their long necks formed the shape of a heart between their bodies. Behind them, a large clam shell sheltered them from the sun and allowed water to stream down behind the mated pair, creating a waterfall backdrop that settled under and around the birds, before falling in another cascading sheet into the large pond below.

The swan fountain had always been Scorpius' favourite spot to come to as a child, giving him peace in a way nothing else could. Now, as he looked at the way the two magnificent birds touched, their hearts as united as their bodies, he felt a strange catch in his throat.

They were a mated _pair_. Their flawless precision was a result of the duality of their nature. The ideal shape they created together would be broken and made imperfect with the addition of another swan.

Rose had said she loved his Veela. She hadn't said she loved Scorpius, though.

Fuck, but _he_ was the third in this mating, wasn't he? It wasn't his beast – it was _him_ that was irrelevant to the relationship.

The thought caused a fist of terror to grip the organ under his ribs and squeeze tight.

"I-I think… I need to… to speak to Dad again," he stammered. "Thank you for your honesty and insight," he offered to his grandmother, kissing the back of her hand.

She looked up at him in concern. "What thoughts trouble you all of a sudden?"

He shook his head, feeling unmanned before this great lady for being so unnerved by his fears. "I'm fine. Just… soaking in the information."

"You were never a good liar, Scorpius," his grand-mere stated with kindness. "Slytherin in action, yes, but your heart has always been too much your mother's."

He smirked. "So, that makes me a… what? Slyther-puff?" He chuckled. "Or is that a Huffle-rin?"

They started back towards the house, leaving the fountain behind… but not forgotten.

His grandmother sighed and patted his hand. "I adored Astoria, despite her unfortunate House sorting, and she loved your father and you very much. For that, I could forgive her affiliations."

Feeling the familiar prickle of sadness that always gripped him whenever he thought on his gentle, dainty mother, Scorpius nodded. "I still miss her."

"As do we all. Your mother was an extraordinarily kind witch… the exact opposite of her viperish sister. That Daphne chit…" She shook her perfectly coifed head. "How the Greengrasses could have raised such diametrically opposed children, I'll never understand. The way she treated your father's friend, Theodore, was disgraceful. Such a kind young man, he is. Thank goodness that McLaggen boy was finally able to tame the woman's wildness, and your cousin turned out surprisingly well, as a result."

Corwin.

Just thinking about Mister Perfect made Scorpius' guts turn over. Rose had preferred his own sodding cousin over him, too.

Merlin's balls, he was depressing himself.

As he escorted his family's matriarch back indoors, he continued listening to his grandmother prattle on about the upcoming birthday gala planned for Corwin on Saturday, offering no comment in order to keep any hostility he might be feeling in check. They separated in the hallway just past the Drawing Room, she going in search of her husband to, "soothe his ruffled feathers," and Scorpius seeking out his father's wisdom.

Entering his dad's wing of the manor, the overwhelming scent of cinnamon and nutmeg filled the air. To his heightened hearing, the sounds of a bed creaking and moans caused him to come to an abrupt stop half-way to the old man's bedroom door.

"Draco!"

Hermione Granger's high-pitched, pleasure-filled cry had Scorpius turning scarlet and doing an abrupt about-face. He headed back downstairs towards his grandfather's private study, where he knew his grandmother had been heading.

The scent of whisky and cloves assaulted his nose as he neared the closed door of his destination, and the familiar sounds of mating assaulted his ears.

"Lucius!"

Shite.

Well, at least he knew when he was his grandfather's age, sex wouldn't be an issue…

Retreating with a quick step, he headed down to the kitchens. At least there he could get a good meal and escape the sounds of happy coupling everywhere. In a sour mood, he indulged, cleaning the plate the house-elf had prepared for him.

"Would the Master like dessert?" the female elf asked.

Dessert… dessert…

He checked the clock on the wall. It was nearing seven o'clock. He was to meet Rose at her flat at half past eight.

There was still time.

"Tell me something: do you know how to make brandy snaps?" he asked the little servant, whose ears perked up in happiness at being put to use. "Or strawberry fool with shaved chocolate on top?"

The elf enthusiastically nodded. "Yes, Master, sirs. Mipsy knows how to make both dessertses!"

Scorpius clapped his hands together, and rolled up his sleeves. "Wonderful. Can you show me?"

"Shows yous, sir?" The house-elf's excitement deflated a bit.

He threw her a flirty grin, having grown-up playing with the house-elves on the Manor property, despite his grandfather's disapproval and knowing how to win their aid when needed. "These are special desserts I want to make for a girl. Do you understand?"

Blue eyes widened and a big, toothy smile flashed across the servant's face. "Oh, yes! Mipsy understandses, Master. Master wishes to give a witch a gift of foodses!"

He nodded. "Exactly." He was going to woo his way into Rose's deep affections one way or another, not content to remain a third wheel, and as the old saying went, "win a heart with a happy stomach." Since he knew her favourite desserts from their school days, this would be easy.

"All right, Mipsy, let's get to work."

So, they did.

* * *

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

**Very important character and plot development in this chapter, as well as some foreshadowing. Did you spot it? Let me know your thoughts, dear readers! Please review!**


	16. Chapter 13: Survivor of Indecision

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

**I apologise for the long break in between, but I finally got my mojo back for writing this story. Hope you like the update - it's ~9K worth of serious plot! Please review, if you would, and thanks for all of the lovely reviews which inspired me to pick back up this story. :)**

**Cossettan = Old English verbal noun meaning "a kiss". For the sake of this story, I have co-opted the term to mean a magical cocoon around a transforming Veela. Think of it as serving the same purpose as a chrysalis around an emerging butterfly.**

* * *

_**CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Survivor of Indecision**_

_**Thursday, July 10th, 2031 (late afternoon)**_

The trouble with experiencing earth-shattering, soul-stealing, amazing sex was the memories.

It wasn't that there was anything wrong with happily reflecting on and daydreaming about the best few hours of your life – no, not at all. The problem was, Rose was discovering, it was difficult to pull your head out of the clouds when all you could think about was the way your lover tasted, or the feel of his sweaty skin sliding across yours, or even the way he felt pulsing deep inside your body when he'd come. To her chagrin, in fact, it was absolutely impossible to stop thinking about such things, especially when she was feeling the new bloom of love chasing those delicious thoughts at the same time.

Unfortunately, her distinct lack of concentration had already resulted in Rose receiving a split, fat lower lip and a bruised cheek this practice session. Her coach had finally benched her for a thirty-minute time-out when a Bludger that she should have seen coming nailed her in the side, knocking her into a vicious tail-spin. Things could have been a lot worse – namely, she could have collided with the wall she'd been heading for - if not for Eleri's quick thinking and fast wand work. Thank the Founders her friend had come to play spectator today!

Lying on her back across one of the benches overlooking the stadium, Rose threw an arm over her eyes and grunted at Eleri's question.

"Come on, dish," her friend pressed. "How was it?"

Uncomfortable talking about sex with Scorpius and his Veela with Eleri, afraid of hurting her friend, she merely said, "Exhausting."

Eleri nudged her leg. "You can tell me. I promise not to be jealous. I told you, I've decided to give Scor up and I mean it."

Rose shifted her arm and peeked at her friend. "El... it's not that simple."

"_Au contraire_. I'm Slytherin. If it's not advantageous to hold on to something, I let it go. That's the beauty of being labelled 'ambitious'."

"I don't want to hurt you again."

Eleri met her gaze without flinching, her pretty indigo eyes unwavering. "I won't lie to you, Rose. I think a part of me will always love Scorpius, but he's... he's not _just_ Scorpius anymore, is he? He'll never be that man again now that he's Veela, too. Everything's changed, and there's no going back."

Rose sat up, groaning as her overtaxed muscles protested. "But you were with him after his transformation-"

Her friend firmly shook her head. "The Veela stayed as far away from that as possible. It never showed itself to me, and I tried very hard never to think of Scorpius like that when we were together, either." Her features tightened up with a touch of regret. "I don't think his Veela liked me very much, honestly, but that's actually kind of a relief, because... I'm not comfortable with the idea of having a monster touch me."

"He's not a monster!" Rose automatically defended. "He's… My Veela is... he's just amazing! He's so loving and caring - better than any human boyfriend I've ever had, actually." She closed her eyes as the memories of the night before returned. "He made such sweet love to me last night. It was his first time having sex -the Veela, I mean- but he was more concerned with my comfort and enjoyment than with his own. He gave me the First Mark, and it was..." She took a deep breath and smiled. "It was wonderful. I can't stop thinking about it."

"And that's why you belong together, the three of you," Eleri stated, "because you can love them both, and they'll make whatever compromises they must to make you happy." She shrugged. "I couldn't give them that. I don't have feelings for Scor's Veela at all, and I've been in a _ménage a trois_ once - it wasn't my thing, really."

Rose felt her cheeks heat at the reminder of her unusual relationship dynamics. One body, two souls, both equally willing to make love to her at any time she wanted.

Noting her reaction, her friend laughed. "Too easy, honey. So, fight your inner prude and tell me more about how wonderful it was. Did you suck his cock? It's huge, right?"

With a blush hot enough to start fires, Rose answered Eleri's questions, but was very tactful about how she phrased certain things, careful of her friend's still-fragile feelings. Mostly, she kept the talk on what she'd done with the Veela, since it seemed that was a safer topic than discussing sex with Scorpius. Basically, it was a very weird discussion, but by the end of it, the two women were laughing and Rose felt closer to Eleri then than she ever had in all the years they'd been friends. It was nice to re-connect, and to know that despite weathering a pretty bad storm together, they'd come out of it stronger than ever.

"So what do you plan to do about Corwin?" Eleri asked, turning the topic to the future now that they'd exhausted the past.

Rose sighed. "I have to tell him that it's over between us. It's going to hurt him, but it's the right thing to do."

"When?"

"Tonight. I'm going over after practice."

Eleri ran a hand through her short, dark hair. "Merlin, I don't envy you that conversation."

Rose nodded. "Yeah, but it's like my dad's always said: sometimes you do wrong, but then you make it right." She laid her hand across Eleri's where it rested between them, and squeezed gently. "No matter the cost, you make it right."

It brought tears to her eyes when her friend immediately squeezed back.

**X~~~~~X**

"Rose, there's a hunky blond outside asking for you."

Rose's pulse quickened at her teammate's words. Apparently, Scorpius had come to see her after practice after all, unable to stay away. God, that was a sexy thought!

"Tell him I'll be out after a shower, if you would?" she relayed, grinning internally at how her lover would take _that_ message. She was hoping he'd get hard just thinking about her lathering up under the hot spray, so when she got out and her teammates abandoned the locker room, she could drag him inside for a shag on the changing bench.

She grabbed her bath kit and headed into the locker room showers, swinging her towel and humming a happy tune.

Ten minutes later, she emerged squeaky clean and ready for some fun. The last of her teammates were just leaving through the door, and Rose was towelling off the water from her body. Opening her locker, she grabbed her comb from her bag and glanced into the small mirror hung on the inside of the door to begin combing through her long, damp hair.

An unfamiliar man suddenly appeared over her left shoulder.

She didn't even have time to scream.

_"Stupefy."_

**X~~~~~X**

"I said, wake up."

Slowly, Rose came to in an unfamiliar room.

As the Stunning Spell wore off, blurry objects came into focus, and her eyes began to pick out peculiar details of her location.

First and foremost, she was no longer in the Harpies' locker room, but in a location she didn't at all recognise. It appeared to be a bedroom. Modern in design, with sharp angles and a twenty-foot ceiling, the entire space screamed 'male'. The walls were painted a dark charcoal grey, offsetting the sleek, marble flooring, a few shades lighter. Spartan in decoration, there was little furniture in the room - just a bed with a large, black leather-upholstered headboard and matching frame, with a mattress wide enough to sleep three comfortably, two end tables to either side of the bed, a unique black crystal chandelier lamp hanging nearly to the floor, and on the wall, an old oil painting _sans_ frame. Two candles had been lit under the painting on one of the side tables, and the golden glow they gave off showed the face of a some goateed, middle-aged wizard, his dress centuries old. He moved as a magical portrait would, and eyed her with a rather sinister smirk upon his face.

"Lovely," he pronounced after sizing her up.

She ignored him to consider the rest of her situation.

The second thing she very quickly noted was that her bum was plastered the the seat of an uncomfortable, wooden chair and that her hands were magically stuck to the arms. A powerful Immobilization Charm kept her firmly in place. Clearly, without a wand, she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

It occurred to her suddenly that she was still naked from her shower, too. Thankfully, though, her captor –whoever he was– had seen fit to wrap a towel around her middle, for modesty's sake. Her long hair draped over her shoulder was still wet, so she knew she couldn't have been unconscious for very long.

To her growing consternation, she realised that she'd been positioned at the foot of the large bed, in the middle of the only rug in the room (some black, plush thing that felt heavenly under her bare feet and made out of some sort of real animal fur). Directly in front of her, lying inert in the centre of the large, black and white modern-styled bed was Corwin. He seemed to be unconscious, not dead, as his chest rose with each inhalation and compressed on each exhale. His arms and legs were spread wide and chained to the four corners of the bed by thick, ropy links that looked sturdy enough to hold the likes of old Rubeus Hagrid in place. A black, satin robe covered him from neck to mid-thigh, but he was otherwise naked, too.

From her angle, Rose could see right between Cor's legs, and the sight of his soft, exposed cock embarrassed her. She immediately turned her gaze elsewhere, taking in other facets of the room, trying to shut the vision out of her mind. Despite their intimate knowledge of each other, seeing her former lover splayed out in some kind of lewd, bizarre bondage-a-go-go position was uncomfortable and it upset her.

"You're aware that she's a half-blood," the wizard in the picture proclaimed with clear distaste, speaking to someone else in the room. "I can feel her tainted energies from here." He turned his aristocratic nose up in disgust. "She is unworthy of our great lineage."

There was a shifting of cloth behind her, and Rose suddenly felt her captor standing at her left shoulder. His body's heat and his magical energies were a prickling aura against hers, causing goosebumps to break out along on her arms.

"Do you want me to burn your canvas, old man," her kidnapper threatened the portrait, his words biting and cold. "I will if you continue to try my patience in this matter."

Rose tried to turn her head to put a face with the voice, but was unable to, the spell upon her body keeping her locked in place.

"She is perfect, just like her Muggle-born mother," he continued. Gentle, male fingers caressed her shoulder in a less-than-chaste manner. "The apple didn't fall far from the tree."

Anger snapped in Rose's chest. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was being touched by someone who hadn't been given permission. "Get your lecherous hands off me, whoever you are, or I'll break them as soon as I get free!" she snarled.

The wizard moved his hand off almost immediately, but not because he feared her threat. His rumbling chuckle in the face of her warning made it abruptly evident that he found her more amusing, and less threatening.

"You have her fiery spirit, too. My boy chose well... but then, we McLaggens have always had a weakness for Granger women."

As he came around the chair, into her line of sight, Rose recognised the man in front of her in the face of his son.

"You're Corwin's father," she whispered, surprised to the soles of her feet.

Her captor gave a mocking bow. "Cormac McLaggen, at your service, Miss Granger."

Rose had never been formally introduced to her former lover's father, but she remembered him escorting his son to King's Cross every year with his stunningly beautiful wife on his arm. She also recalled how Corwin and he had been rather stiff and formal with each other during those interactions; there had been no good-bye hugs from his dad, only his mum. She'd always wondered why that was.

Well, now she knew: the elder McLaggen was clearly off his nut.

With a wry smirk, Rose corrected him. "It's Weasley. Granger is my mother. And, if you're really at _my_ service, Mister McLaggen, then you'd release me from the Immobilization spell and let me on my merry way."

Cormac's grin widened, giving him an almost boyish cast to his features, despite the fact he looked... Wait, he didn't look like an old geezer at all. He should be at least as old as her dad, right? They'd gone to school together. So, why did Corwin's father appear to be only a decade or so older than his son, at the most?

"Clever, witch, but I don't think so," he replied to her request. "Tonight is a special night – one you're not soon to forget." He reached out and bopped the tip of her nose with his finger in a condescending gesture. "You've got a front row seat to one of the rarest events on the planet, my dear, so you just sit back and enjoy."

_What the hell?_ He was treating her as if she were some sort of child!

As she really considered the man before her then, with his arrogant smirk and features that Corwin would clearly mirror in a few years, it suddenly occurred to Rose that she knew almost nothing about her former lover's family. In fact, as she thought on it, it struck her as quite peculiar that Corwin had rarely talked about his parents back during their school days, or even after, once they'd started dating. And he hadn't brought her home to meet his mum and dad, either. Why was that?

She knew from the gossip over the years that her boyfriend _–ex, now, although she had yet to officially break it off with him–_ had moved out of his ancestral home and into his own flat quickly after their Hogwarts graduation... as in, he'd buggered out only a few days after receiving his acceptance letter from the Magpies. Perhaps he'd had _–still did have?–_ a strained relationship with his parents, and that was the reason for his quick departure from their house, as well as for the fact that he'd rarely mentioned them or brought anyone around?

One thing was for certain: family wasn't one of Corwin's priorities. She knew he didn't care a whit for Scorpius, his own cousin. In fact, Cor had avoided Slytherin's former Prince like the plague when they'd been in school, and they'd been Quidditch rivals. Rose had always assumed that was because Corwin had been raised to behave that way due to the Malfoy's prior associations during the war, but maybe there was another reason-

-like, something having to do with the slightly demented wizard standing in front of her right now.

"So, what's the big plan?" she asked, trying to keep Cormac talking. Her father had always told her that, for a kidnapped victim, buying time from their assailant by keeping them distracted was essential, as it allowed authorities a chance to catch up. She'd squawk his ears off if it would give her family or Scorpius a chance to ride in to her rescue. "You going to make me watch while you do bizarre things to your chained up son?"

Cormac slapped her hard enough to turn her head and make her ears ring.

"My wife thought being mouthy and irreverent was funny at first, too." He began unbuttoning his crisp, white dress shirt. "She soon learned her place, as will you. Once the Veela ritual is finished, and my son makes you his mate, I'll coach him in the matter. He looks to _me_ now for answers, just as I always knew he would, eventually."

Rose spit her disdain at his feet, trying to hide her trepidation. A queer, hollow sensation had opened up in the pit of her stomach and was beginning to turn her insides around. "I told you, you bastard, my last name is Weasley! And what are you talking about? What Veela ritual? Corwin's not-"

Her words arrested in her mouth as the elder McLaggen opened his shirt and let it slip from his bulky shoulders. He was utterly striking, his body that of a man in his late-twenties, not a man who should be in his fifties. A pair of black and gold feathered wings _–Veela wings–_ unfolded from his back and spread out behind him. His curly, golden hair grew out and fell to his shoulders, and that peculiar dark nimbus that all male Veela drew around their bodies cast his luminous skin in shadow. His eyes shone through the gloom, though, sparkling like the sun - not a swirling, liquid silver, but golden and filled with fire, like molten lava. The curved fangs of a mature Veela male separated his lips, their length making it impossible for him to fully close his mouth.

_Oh, shit._

"Our son transitions tonight," he stated with an eerie smile. That conflux of voices that Rose was now so very familiar with hearing indicated that the man and his inner beast were one. "He comes into his heritage – and finally takes his mate."

_Oh, fuck._

All of Scorpius' earlier warnings about Rose's vulnerability –warnings that had seemed far-fetched and impossible before– now slammed home. _"There are other Veela going through the Transition this year,"_ he'd told her._ "Unless I give you the Second and Third Marks, and finish this mating between us soon, another Veela can claim you at any time, if they want you - and they might not be so considerate of your demands for them not to force the Marks on you. It would be rape, and it would be a permanent bond. 'Til death do you part." _

"You can't do this!" she shouted, panic taking her over her mouth. "I'm... I'm Scorpius Malfoy's mate! He's given me the First Mark, and I've already accepted him!"

Cormac moved so fast, Rose's terror levels shot through the roof. He was suddenly in front of her, bending down with his face pressed into the curve of her shoulder, inhaling her scent. "Yes, you smell of another Veela," he agreed, his lips hovering over her ear, "but we know you haven't yet conceived." His nose travelled down her body, sniffing her under her arms, between her cleavage, between her tightly-clamped thighs, and at the backs of her knees. Finally, he looked up at her again, and the grin he threw her was unpleasant and frightening. "You've fucked him, that's all. No Second or Third Marks."

Standing to his full height once again, he stared down at her, his head jerking in that strange bird-like mannerism of a Veela. "It's poetic justice that you are destined for our son, because your mother had always been destined to be our mate when she was your age. We'd already decided upon Hermione Granger during her sixth year, and had tried courting her to win her over early, but she'd continually dodged us then." His lips curled with disdain, his fists clenched at his side, and his fangs elongated with growing aggression. "Then, she'd slept with that Malfoy brat and given him what should have been ours! We knew, because we'd watched them playing coy with each other after that - casual touches in the corridors, heated glances across the dining hall. He was smitten like a young Crup over her, and she with him. It was obvious what they'd done!"

He leaned down until he was in her face, placing both hands over her much smaller wrists. The tips of his fingers, she noted, had sharp, bird-like talons, and he used them to heighten her terror, menacing her with them even as he stroked over her skin with a lover's gentle caress.

Rose's terror levels hit the roof. Her heart hammered so hard in her chest that she was afraid she'd go into cardiac arrest on the spot.

"We'd hated your mother for making us into the fool, and spent years trying to forget her with other witches," he continued his tale, "but we could never stop wanting her. She was like a splinter under our skin. Every article in the paper about her drove us mad. Every glimpse of her in Diagon Alley made us desperate to have her. And we were right to feel so! Upon our transition, it was _her_ that the magic chose for our match - _her_ face we saw in our mind's eye. She'd been meant to be ours!" He shut his eyes and his expression scrunched up with pain. His nails bit into her skin, breaking through. Tiny pinpoints of blood welled to the surface. "But the vision changed to our second mate's… because the magic knew… it knew Hermione was already pregnant with you, and that she could not be ours!" He withdrew his claws, and slammed his hands down on the wood of the chair to either side of her knees in frustration. "We'd lost her _again_ because of her whoring ways!"

Rose hadn't been sorted Gryffindor, but right then, her parents' fiery heritage was beginning to burn in her mouth. She was suddenly _very _angry. Angry that her respectable mother had been called a whore. Angry that she'd been kidnapped by a man whose fixation on her mum had led to Rose being kidnapped and tied down like some sort of ridiculous sexual sacrifice. Angry that Corwin had been similarly abused, and for the same reasons. Angry that she'd been forced into this whole Veela mating crap thing against her will, and that she was nothing more than a pawn in a sick game of biological obsession.

She spit in Cormac's face. "My mother is a good woman, you sick fuck! Just because you're not man enough for her doesn't mean you get to impugn her honour. And as for me… you can take your Veela mating shit and shove it where the sun doesn't shine, because I _chose_ Scorpius Malfoy and his Veela for my own, and no amount of force is ever going to change my feelings for him!"

Like a bi-polar switch had gone off in his skull, Corwin's father's temper was suddenly icy calm. Wiping her spittle from his cheek, he did no more than give her a placating smile. "We'll see about that," he stated. In a blink, he was standing at his unconscious son's side, staring down at his boy. "He's going to fuck you into the floor tonight and get you with our grandson, and by tomorrow morning, you'll be begging him for more." He smirked with supreme confidence as he said, "We may have lost the chance to be with Hermione Granger when it was our turn to have her, but at least our son will not lose this chance to have her daughter." He reached down and petted Corwin's golden head. "One of us will have a Granger witch in our lifetime… and then this offensive curse will be broken once and for all."

Rose knew then that she wasn't dealing with a man who was wholly sane. Something was broken in Cormac McLaggen and his Veela, and she wasn't sure she was getting out of tonight's kidnapping with her life if the man's son rejected her, or vice-versa.

"Why doesn't anyone know what you are?" she asked, changing tactics. "How could you possibly keep such a secret from the Malfoys? They should have sniffed you out a long time ago at some Christmas in-law family dinner or something."

The elder McLaggen's smirk widened, and his tone filled with haughtiness as he glanced over at her, and then beyond her to something high up on the wall. "You'll find out in... about four minutes."

_Oh, God,_ she thought, feeling her anger dissolve again in the face of a growing alarm. Corwin was going to go through his transition right now! What should she do? How could she break the binding upon her to get free before then? Truthfully, she'd always been shite at wandless spells, so the chances of her getting free without a wand in her possession were practically nil. Still, there had to be something she could do…

_Think, THINK!_

She concentrated, trying to move even something as little as her pinkie finger. No luck.

Rose may have been sorted a Ravenclaw, and creative solutions had always been her forte, but in this scenario, she had to admit that the chips were seriously stacked against her.

McLaggen turned to the magical portrait over his shoulder. "Pontus, go fetch our mate. It's time."

Pontus... Pontus… where had Rose heard that name before?

The elder wizard in the portrait walked out of the frame.

"Let me go, please," she pleaded, no longer prideful enough as to be above such things. Her horror of being mated to someone other than Scorpius and her Veela fuelled a level of desperation in her that brought her near to tears. "I'm Scorpius' mate! He chose me, and… and I chose him! You can't take us away from each other. It's cruel and wrong on every level!"

"You won't think so once it's done," Cormac asserted without reservation. "In fact, you'll feel quite satisfied with the new arrangement, I'm quite sure." He plucked his wand up from the nearby bedside table and pointed it at his son. "_Rennervate_.

Corwin came to in a jerking motion. "F-father? Wha-?" He seemed confused with his surroundings and then with the fact that his arms were bound.

He yanked on the chains and opened his mouth, clearly to demand an explanation, but before he could utter a word, he jerked again and his eyes flared wide. A golden light spilled from between his lips and began emanated from his body, surrounding him… and then he began screaming. His back bowed off the mattress.

"The Manifestation begins," his father ritualistically intoned and stepped back.

As the howling went on and on, stopping at irregular intervals for Corwin to draw rapid, panting breaths before launching into another round of pain-filled yelling, Rose's heart went out to her former lover. He writhed around on the bed as much as the chains allowed; his pain was seemingly all-encompassing and unending. He shook and jolted as the magical aura around him shifted, changing through every colour of the rainbow before returning to that stunning sheen of gold she'd seen earlier.

Corwin's mother hurried into the room from elsewhere within the house, dressed as all pureblood women of her station: in a conservative, high-necked witch's dress that fell to her wrists and ankles and fashionable, square-heeled shoes that allowed for no glimpse of bared toes. Her hair and make-up were perfect, her jewellery expensive and gaudy. She was the epitome of a high society dame... except she was clearly an emotional wreck. She stayed far away from the bed, closer to the door, as if afraid to come in, but there were tears in her eyes as she watched her son's suffering. At one point, she even cupped a hand over her mouth to stifle a sob.

In exact opposition, Corwin's father stood a placid, silent sentinel over his boy's bed, a smile of triumph across his lips as he watched his son struggling in agony.

At one point, Corwin began crying, so great was his agony. He looked to his father with blue eyes pale and pained, silently entreating for help, but nothing but garbled grunts and moaning came out when he opened his mouth.

"Stop it, please," Rose whispered. "Make it stop! Give him something for the pain, at least!" When Cormac McLaggen scoffed at her suggestion, she snarled at him, "What kind of monster are you? You're his father! Help him!"

Cormac raised a golden eyebrow at that. "I have a better idea: why don't _you_ help him."

His wand waved in her direction, and the Freezing Charm was released.

Rose slumped in her chair with relief, but Corwin's distressing shouting soon had her up on her feet. He was still her friend, no matter that things hadn't worked out between them, and she intended on helping him – even if it meant a temporary borrowing of her parents' reckless Gryffindor bravery to achieve that aim.

Clutching her towel around her to assure it stayed in place, she made a mad dash across the distance to try to take Cormac's wand from him. He easily deflected her with a twitch from his wand, however, having anticipated her move. She was rather forcefully pushed towards the bed by an invisible hand, where she summarily fell in an ungraceful heap across Corwin's body.

The moment her skin touched his, Cor's cries abruptly cut off, to be replaced by small, plaintive whimpers instead.

Struggling for leverage, Rose managed to move her body off of Corwin's and keep her towel from slipping with a frantic grip. Her former lover began screeching again in pain the moment she was no longer in contact with him.

"Touch him," Corwin's mother implored, wringing her hands, tears streaming down her narrow, rouged cheeks. "You're clearly to be his mate. He needs your touch. It'll calm him and make it easier."

"I'm not-" she protested, but the sounds of Corwin's continued agony became too much to bear. She glared over at his father. "You evil, manipulative bastard! Give me the wand, if you're not man enough to help!"

Resolutely, the older man shook his head and stepped back, out of reach. "Lie with him if you're friend enough to care," he countered.

Recognising the futility of trying to snatch the man's wand –he was just too damned fast– Rose was resigned to trying anything to help in any other way she could. She took a seat at her ex's side and reached out to hold his hand. Maybe..._ maybe_ this would help him. Merlin knew, no one deserved to suffer as Corwin was suffering.

The instant her fingertips met his, Cor's wailing ceased and he collapsed into the mattress, boneless and panting, as if he'd been given a temporary reprieve from the pain.

"Oh, Cor," she whispered, recognising the truth. He really did love her, enough that his Veela had clearly chosen her for his mate already. She knew because his magical aura now resonated with hers, much the same as Scorpius' did; she could feel its gentle melding with hers where their skin connected.

"The Manifestation is complete," Cormac stated. "Now comes the Emergence."

Rose was about to ask what in the hell that would entail, when to her utter surprise and horror, she actually felt the next waves of changes already occurring under her fingertips: in a series of loud popping noises, Corwin's bones seemed to thicken, and the muscles, tendons, and ligaments around them to become firmer.

He gripped her hand tight, his eyelids fluttering open to stare at her in shock. "Hurts," was all he could choke out before the transformation of his physical body really began.

In disbelief, she watched as the skin of his arms and legs stretched to accommodate powerful muscle building under the skin. Through the top split in his robe, she noted the ridges of Cor's abs became even more defined, and his great ribs expanded as his body adjusted. His jaw firmed up, removing the last of his baby fat, and the cords in his neck stood out, seeming almost bull-like. He hardened all over, every angle slightly sharpening, becoming stronger.

Even more shocking to her, however, was when his erection came to life, pushing through the lower split in his robe. It grew taut, standing straight-up between his legs with proud arousal. It rippled as an inch, and then two of muscle and flesh were added beyond its original size, making him longer than he'd been before. _For deeper penetration, _she guessed. His penis thickened, too, giving it a wider girth, and heavy veins lined the underside. It twitched and darkened as it became engorged with blood.

Rose was unable to look away, despite her best intentions to do so. It seemed as though Corwin had unintentionally grabbed a hold of her magical aura and done to her what his father had done earlier with his spell: he'd temporarily immobilized her. Worse, when she tried to close her eyelids to shut out the sights before her, an odd compulsion forced her to reopen them and to watch. It was as if she had no will of her own for those few minutes.

Corwin tilted his head back as far as it could go on the pillow, opened his mouth, and let out a low moan. The sound was coupled with the same trilling-purring sound that Scorpius usually made when he was well pleased. His hand tightened around hers, his pelvis undulated... and suddenly his cock released all that pressure in a magnificent explosion. Wet, sticky seed shot all over his lower half in powerful spurts as he came with a satisfied cry.

His pleasure was unstoppable then; it went on for long minutes as he continued to orgasm all over himself. His hips tensed, released, and thrust upwards in a rhythm that simulated the sex act, as if he were fucking an invisible lover, and he ejaculated every few moments in another rush of erotic sensation and a series of impassioned sounds.

"Rose," he groaned as he came for the fourth time, creamy, white come flowing from the heavy, swollen head of his cock, dripping down his long length to bath him in his essence. "Rose... Need you... Please."

For a long while, his body continued to go through its freaky sexual liberation, even as it continued to physically evolve. The orgasming got to be a predictable event; Rose could tell when Cor was about to climax again when a strong tremor rocked his flanks hard enough for her to feel it in her own thighs as she sat on the bed next to him. The entire thing was frightening and uncomfortable, honestly. She felt like a voyeur to a very private scene, and didn't want to think about Corwin in such a manner any longer. She didn't want to be forced to remember the beginning of their relationship, when they'd been hot for each other and she'd become wet just looking at him. Things had changed since then, and she didn't want to consider her former lover as anything but an ex ever again_._

She was determined to fight against whatever it was Corwin's biology was trying to force upon her.

Using every bit of her concentration, she attempted to do what Theodosis Black had done and redirect her magical energies to shut off Corwin's hold over her. Sweat dripped down her forehead and beaded above her upper lip as she focussed all of her mental fortitude to the task of regaining her body's autonomy in such a manner.

It took an intense effort, but after half an hour Rose was able to shut her eyes and retake some independence of movement. Shaking from head to toe, fighting off the feel of Corwin's lusty, affectionate aura stroking against hers, she moved to disentangle his hold on her hand. Unfortunately, he defied her attempts, squeezing tighter to lock her in place. She increased her struggles... and he increased the pressure. Eventually, their battle of wills caused his grip to become quite painful, and that's when Rose began imploring him to let her go and truly struggling to get away. Corwin held fast, however, and she was unable to break free.

"Please," she wept, tears streaming down her cheeks, "let go, Cor. You're really hurting me!"

Corwin's body went stone-still a beat later. All of the shifting under his skin abruptly ceased, and his hips lay motionless against the mattress. No more ejaculations were forthcoming from the rigid, inflexible stalk of flesh between his legs, either. Instead, a golden, soft light began to throb around him, encasing him, giving the impression that he was contained in some sort of light-based cocoon.

"The Presentation, at last," Cormac intoned. "The cossettan is split and _he _comes."

The strange, magical chrysalis that surrounded Corwin split down the exact middle, and a particle wave of heat and light burst outwards from its dissolution. Its energy passed through Rose like a wave rolling over the shoreline... and her body reacted, becoming instantly aroused. Her womb clenched, and her pussy ran wet with instant, acute need.

Even as the scent of her sexual musk filled the air, Rose clapped her free hand over the area of her core, embarrassed by her body's response. However, like Corwin's earlier arousal, her own was difficult to stop once it had started. It was as if their roles had been reversed. Her clit throbbed as her pulse pounded through it, and her internal muscles rippled and rolled as her desire swelled. Resenting the forced pleasure, she fought off her orgasm as best she could, but she was exhausted from the day's intense physical and mental activities, and her body had no choice in the end but to give in. With a cry of despondency, she tossed her head back and climaxed.

Her peak was short-lived, thankfully, and very soon she was panting and crashing back to the earth, tears of helplessness and frustration wrung from her eyes.

By her side, Cor's chest suddenly expanded as he took a deep, full breath, his lungs filling with air. He sniffed at the same time, scenting the air... and released a loud, rumbling purr of pleasure that thrilled the room. "Mate," he hissed, his eyes snapping open and zeroing in on her.

_Oh, God, no._

Corwin's Veela had finally awoken.

Biting her lip, Rose renewed her struggles to get away, this time with greater fervency, her panic fuelling her attempts. When she managed to disentangle her hand from his sweaty grip and slipped away, he flexed with a strength she'd have never guessed he could possess and broke the chain that held his wrist secured to the bed. The half-inch, thick link snapped like it was made of the thinnest, weakest of metals, and fell with a clank off the side of the bed. Then, in a quick snatch-and-grab, he recaptured her hand.

"Our mate!" Corwin and his Veela sounded triumphant.

"Let go!" she begged, becoming hysterical for the first time in her life. She tugged hard against his hold, trying to escape, scratching and digging her nails into his flesh to get him to let her loose. "I'm Scorpius' mate! I chose _him!"_

She heard another set of links snap and knew Corwin's arms were now both free. She knew what this meant for her.

"Please, don't do this!" she beseeched, even as he yanked her towards him. She collided against his steel-hard chest at the same moment her towel slipped to her waist.

"Mate," Corwin and his Veela combined purred against her ear, their voices merged. "We see you in our mind's eye, even without the ritual's completion. You are _ours!"_

A strange, wonderful scent permeated the air then, saturating Rose's every sense: the crisp, clear fragrance of a Scottish forest in early spring, coupled with the intoxicating scent of leather and the musk of sweat. It reminded her of Hogwarts and Quidditch, and that sense of safety she'd found within the fortress of her childhood. It lulled her with the memories of flying and the freedom she'd found riding the air currents and touching the sky.

It drew her in, like a shiny lure on the end of a hook...

"No, don't do this!" she cried, fighting against his Veela magic, pushing in vain against his chest as his arms held her in a formidable embrace. "Stop! I don't want this, Cor! I don't want _you!"_

She felt his magic like a tingle of electricity across her skin, and the last two chains fell free with finality. Completely unfettered at last, Corwin flipped her onto her back into the centre of his bed and mounted her.

"NO!" she shouted, as he pressed his nose into her neck and inhaled...

He paused, and a snarl of absolute fury left his lips, startling her.

"I smell him on you!" he growled, the crush of his body nearly suffocating as he pressed her into the mattress. "A male. His scent covers you!" His nose followed the path of her body down under her breasts, under the pits of both arms, at the bends of her elbows, dipping into her bellybutton, and lower still.

Rose struggled to push Corwin off, but he was so incredibly strong and his hold was completely undeterred. She was the ant fighting to push back the hurricane, her efforts completely futile.

At the top of her pelvis, Corwin halted and jerked his head back, snarling with greater savagery. In that bobbing, bird-like fashion of the Veela, his attention shifted to her face and he stared at her with angry eyes swirling gold. In that moment, his Veela transformation finally became manifest. His hair lengthened to his shoulders, giving it a slight curl much like his father's. His skin gained a luminous patina, even as dark shadows were drawn about him from the corners of the room. His eyes glowed in that eerie fashion of Veela males, and his wings stretched out wider than the bed - golden with brass-coloured tips. He flapped them once to signal his great irritation, creating a powerful breeze that blew out the wicks on the candles nearby, making the room darker still.

As Rose's terror levels ratcheted to heights previously never encountered before, Corwin moved back up her body with clear resolution. When he was even with her mouth, he locked onto her gaze with a determination she'd never seen in him before.

"Who was it? Was it our cousin?"

When Rose didn't reply, terrified that if she opened her mouth he'd try to give her the First Mark, he tightened his grip on her wrists and shook her.

"It was our cousin, wasn't it? We smell his seed inside you!" he thundered. "You let him fuck you! You let him have what was _ours!"_

A whimper of distress escaped her throat, and Rose shut her eyes again, and prayed that her mother or father or Scorpius would find her soon.

"It matters not, son," Cormac proclaimed from his position near the bed.

Corwin's head snapped up, as if he was just now aware of witnesses to his mating. He hissed at his father in warning.

"She is your to take," his father continued. "He did not give her the final Marks. Claim her."

"Stay away," he warned, baring long, vicious teeth. "She's mine!"

Cormac stepped back again and held his hands up to show his intention not to harm or interfere. "Yes, son, she is yours. Take her."

"Corwin McLaggen, don't you dare!" Rose refused him, her anger making her brash. "I'll never forgive you!"

He turned back and stared at her in silence for a good, long moment.

"What makes you think I care?" his Veela asked. That bizarre conflux of voices was suddenly absent, announcing to her that the beast had taken over Corwin's body completely, sublimating him.

Holy mother of Merlin, Corwin's Veela was a split entity like Scorpius' was! How was that even possible?

She grasped at straws. "Corwin loves me. He said he did! If that's true, he won't let you do this to me. He won't let you rape me and steal my choice in this! I trust him not to hurt me." It was a straight-up bluff, but it was all Rose could think of at that moment to continue to stall.

The Veela's head jerked again, and he stared down at her through narrowed, contemplative eyes.

"I saw you, you know," he stated, a threat hinting at the edges of his biting tone. "That night back in school, when you fucked my cousin. I watched you, just as that dark-haired witch did. I nudged Corwin to follow her when she followed the two of you down into the dungeons." His lip curled with biting cynicism. "I watched that selfish runt take you against the wall like a common whore." He frowned, as if he were bothered by what he was about to say next. "Corwin was heartbroken. He'd fancied you for years, but after that, he'd wanted to stay away from you. He tried to get over you by dating other females. Me..." His cruel smirk was back in place. "I just wanted you even more, my dirty, little slut." He shrugged. "Unfortunately, my host had control of the body then, so we did it his way for a few years." His smirk bloomed until he resembled a shark, all gleaming, white teeth. "Not anymore, though."

Rose shook at his implication. "Corwin, stop him, please!" she begged, pushing against his hold on her wrists. They tightened even as his hips dropped and he spread her thighs apart with his legs. "I'm in love with Scorpius and his Veela! I'm sorry, but... it's true. I can't be with you like this! I'm Scorpius' mate!"

The Veela's gaze turned inward, and he frowned again, and Rose recognised the expression as one Scorpius often wore when he and his Veela were internally arguing. The debate was short-lived however, as the Veela's attention shifted back to her and he shoved his cock between her legs, seeking entrance.

Rose fought him in earnest then, bucking wildly, twisting and turning as far as she could. Corwin's Veela was not to be deterred, however, and all her struggles only allowed him the one thing he'd wanted from the start: a way in. He shoved hard, and was suddenly inside her to the hilt.

Rose screamed and began crying.

"No! Please, Cor, don't do this! PLEASE, STOP!"

The Veela's mouth dropped to her throat. "You are finally _mine,"_ he claimed, and without further ado, he bit her.

Something in Rose short-circuited. There was a shift in her magical energies again, and she screeched as her body went haywire, every nerve ending exploding with fire as Corwin's Veela skipped giving her the First Mark, and went right to the Second. The pain was incredible – beyond anything she'd ever known.

All the lights in the room went out, plunging them all into stygian blackness.

"Stupefy!" she heard a woman shout out twice in quick succession, and then Corwin went completely slack and slumped atop her with his full weight, temporarily knocked-out. A second later, he was being shoved and rolled off of her.

Someone took hold of her arm, and with a thunderous crack, Rose was Apparated away to safety.

**X~~~~~X**

Rose and her rescuer popped back into existence outside a townhouse on an unfamiliar street in an unknown city just seconds later.

She glanced up to learn the identity of her saviour...

It was Corwin's mother, Daphne McLaggen. The woman looked as if she might faint, her face pale and sweaty, her eyes wide with fear.

She held fast to Rose's arm and tugged her up the stone steps to the solid, black door of the townhouse, frantically knocking upon it, uncaring that it was now late at night and most of the street was asleep in their beds. A minute or two later, a tall, reedy wizard with a full head of white hair answered the door. He took one look at the two women, and herded them inside.

"What happened?" he asked, shutting and locking the door behind them and angling them all for his sitting room.

As they were seated on an antique, well-worn sofa, the man conjured a lap blanket from a nearby chair and spread it out with a twitch of his wand. It fell over Rose's shoulders, covering her nudity.

"Corwin's transition. It's as we suspected all along," Lady McLaggen stated, as if that explained everything.

Apparently, it did, because the wizard's eyes filled with the light of understanding. "You _Stupefy'd_ them both, I take it?"

The witch nodded, her wand hand shaking.

He turned to look at Rose, his gaze clinical in its assessment. "That won't put them down for long. Ten minutes at the most. They'll both be up and feral after that, and then..." He shook his head. "She can't stay. Your son will follow the magical trace here, and you know what that will mean." He reached out to tilt Rose's head so he could look into her eyes. "And she needs medical help. Her aura's way off the charts. I can't fix this, love."

"I sense it," the other woman said, "It's only a matter of time for her, I know. Oh, Theo, I shouldn't have come here, and I'm sorry. I've put you in danger. I just didn't know where else to go! His Veela... my son's Veela had taken over, like my husband's does. He was raping her!"

"W-w-where are w-we?" Rose asked while huddling under the woolen blanket, feeling her energy draining away. Her body was cold from head to toe, her teeth rattled her skull with their chattering, and the echo of residual pain made her bones ache deep within the marrow. She was beginning to mentally drift, too, her consciousness catching the words but taking a few moments to register what was being said. Something was very wrong...

The wizard shook his head as if her question were unimportant. "Do you have a safe place you can go, one that's protected by strong magic? A place where there will be enough wizards and witches to protect you in case you need to stop a rampaging Veela?"

Rose's first thought was the Malfoys, but what came out of her mouth was The Burrow instead.

"The Weasleys. Good choice," Theo stated with a nod. "Come, we need to go. No time. He'll be right behind you once he wakes up."

"Some clothes-"

Theo shook his head. "No time!" he insisted. "I have to scrub your signature or he'll find this place. We need to shift it to her family's residence." He grabbed a hold of Rose and yanked her to her feet. "Sorry, but the blanket will have to do for now. Your grandparents will get you into something warm once you get there.

Before Rose could protest, she was pulled over to the Floo. Theo thrust some sparkly green powder into her hand. "Call out for The Burrow. Stay there. I'll send word to Draco and his family, and to the Aurors."

The world blurred before Rose's eyes, and she started to tip over, her knees giving out. The Floo powder fell from her hand to the floor. Lady McLaggen caught her before she hit the ground, thankfully.

She coughed up blood.

"Shit," Theo swore. "You're going to have to go with her."

There was some more movement, but Rose was feeling decidedly too ill to pay much attention. She shut her eyes and leaned into the soft embrace holding her up.

"Meet you later, if I can," Theo promised them.

An instant later, Rose was travelling through the Floo to The Burrow. The nauseating feeling of being pulled and compacted loosened her stomach, and she vomited up everything in her belly, including more blood, on the way in to her next destination.

**X~~~~~X**

With a jarring halt, they arrived at The Burrow, the familiar smell of rosemary and lemon verbena filling Rose's nose.

Corwin's mother started shouting for help.

The sound of pounding feet answered. It grew louder as people rushed down the stairs from the higher levels, and then voices were raised in consternation as they entered the room and were greeted with the unexpected sight of Rose naked except for a blanket, and both she and Lady McLaggen covered in blood and vomit.

"Rosie!"

Her father's alarm made fresh tears flood Rose's eyes. "Daddy," she whispered, feeling raw and vulnerable, weakly reaching for him.

Her father took her in his arms from Corwin's mother, and carried her over to the comfortable couch that she'd loved to laze upon during warm summer nights as a child. With careful and gentle discretion, the blanket she'd been provided was wrapped tighter around her by gentle hands.

"Merlin Almighty, Petal, what-?" her grandfather exclaimed, coming into the room and also noting her state. He sat at her father's side, gently turning her head to inspect her injuries. "You're bleeding. Who did this to you? Good God, are those... bite marks?"

Her father made a strangled sound.

As her grandfather's wand cleaned her up and healed the injury at her throat, Rose's body once more went into a state of heightened shock. Her tremors increased as, an inch at a time, at a rate that was faster than anticipated, she felt her body begin to shut down.

Instinctively, she knew her body was having an adverse reaction to having been given the First Mark by Scorpius but the Second Mark by Corwin. Somehow, her magical energies had been twisted up by being claimed by two different Veelas.

She felt like she was dying. Maybe she actually was.

"Grandpa, I need mum! Please get mum!" she cried, knowing her mother would be able to help. If anyone in this world understood the issues of Veela mating, and would be quick to find solutions, it would be her mother.

"Roz, what happened?" her father whispered, sounding strangely vulnerable and scared.

"Scor," she whimpered, using the last of her energies. "Find Scor... Please."

Her father secured his hold around her, and with ancient strength borne of a paternal need to protect, he got to his feet and carried her to the Floo. "We need to get you to the hospital first, but I need to know if I can Floo you or if we can Apparate. How bad is it, baby?"

Rose's consciousness was slipping away. Tired, she rested her head on her father's shoulder and began to give in to the allure of oblivion.

"His Veela... he went mad..." she whispered, the effort of speaking just that little taking the last of her strength. The world began to go mute. Voices were talking, arguing, but her brain couldn't interpret the words any longer. Every bit of her hurt, from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. It hurt just to breathe.

Her heart beat was a slowing rhythm in her chest, drowning out everything else.

_Thump-thump._

_Thummp-thummp._

_Thummmmp-thummmmp._

Rose let go and was swallowed up by the dark.

* * *

_**TO BE CONTINUED...**_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

**Did you see that coming, dear reader? What do you think is going on with Cormac, Daphne, Theo, and all of the Veela? How as it that the Malfoys never knew? Stay tuned to find out...**

**Please review!**


	17. Chapter 14: Survivor of Insecurity

**Author's Notes:**

**I apologise for it taking so long for this update, but hopefully ~9.5K worth of story & important character development to sink your teeth into will make up for that lag. **

* * *

_**Chapter 14: Survivor of Insecurity**_

_**Thursday, July 10th, 2013 (late evening) - Friday, July 11, 2013 (early morning)**_

It was eleven o'clock, and Rose had not yet returned home.

Although Scorpius was all for his lover's personal autonomy, and had for the last two and a half hours, bottled up his anxiety at her lateness in an attempt to respect her request to that end, he was now in agreement with his Veela: something was delaying her on purpose, and he should go out and bring her home. He couldn't shake the sense of foreboding hanging over his head, either, as to the reason.

He took the Floo back to his family's Manor just in case Rose had gotten her wands crossed and had gone there to meet up with him.

To his disappointment, she wasn't anywhere on the lower levels of his family's home, so he headed for the private suites above. Rushing upstairs, he checked his rooms first (no dice), then headed over to his father's wing. He'd paused only a few seconds to catch his breath before knocking on his father's bedroom door. The scent of cinnamon and nutmeg was strong in the air around the old man's wing, tickling Scorpius' nose and making him sneeze.

His father answered the summons in a robe, and stepped out into the hallway so as not to disturb his mate. Immediately, his eyes widened and he made a small production of sniffing in Scorpius' direction.

"Have you-?" He paused, clearly unsure how to phrase the obvious question without causing embarrassment for them both. "I mean... are you-?"

"Mated?" Scorpius supplied, feeling his cheeks pink. He was no blushing school girl about sex normally, but he and his father were still working through the gap in their awkward relationship. It was still a bit difficult to put himself and his private life out there, despite having shared so much already with his family, because he'd spent years emotionally disconnected from them. "I gave her the First Mark and... yeah, but not the Second or Third Marks. She asked to take things slow."

His father's face split with a wide grin. "Congratulations, son!" He clapped Scorpius on the shoulder. "This is great news!"

"T-thanks."

It was amazing how such a little gesture and a bunch of words could make Scorpius feel like he was ten-years-old all over again. For years, he'd wanted this connection with his father, but his father had been deadened to the world and unable to give him such closeness and warmth. Scorpius now understood _why_ that had happened –to keep his Veela from going feral and consuming him after Scorpius' mum's death, Draco had had to channel all his concentration into a sort of energy stalemate, leaving little room for warm-touchy-feely type things with others– but Scorpius still felt cheated of the chance to have had a proper father-son relationship.

They were making up for it now, though. This was their second chance to make things right. Maybe that's what mattered most.

"I'm sorry to disturb your sleep, but has Rose come here tonight?" he asked.

His father shook his head. "No, we haven't seen her today."

"She was supposed to meet me for brunch," Hermione Granger replied, sticking her head out of his father's bedroom door. The rest of her, Scorpius noted, remained shielded behind the sturdy oak portal. "Apparently, she was held up then, too." A playful smirk lit up her face.

Yeah, Rose had been tied-up earlier this afternoon all right - by a blue, silk scarf, to the iron rails of her headboard, completely naked...

He cleared his throat, and then his mind of its dirty thoughts, focussing on the conversation. "Sorry for making her miss her appointment with you. We were... busy."

He rubbed the back of his head, feeling sheepish. His Veela internally snorted and called him an idiot. He told the beast to 'stuff it'.

"She had Quidditch practise after that, and we'd agreed to meet back at her flat earlier tonight. She never showed. I'm -_we're_- worried."

Draco and his mate exchanged one of those silent glances that only long-time-in-love couples can interpret.

"What time is it?" Hermione asked.

Scorpius checked the Muggle time-piece on his wrist. "Half-past eleven."

Another look passed between his father and Hermione.

"I'll Floo-call The Burrow," she volunteered, and ducked back inside the bedroom, leaving the door open a crack.

"Have you tried her friends?" his father asked.

Scorpius shook his head. "Came here first. I figured I'd try them next."

"Call them from the downstairs Floo in the library." His dad began loosening the knot on the belt around his waist. "I'll meet you there in a few minutes. Just let me get dressed."

"I'm sorry," Scorpius offered. "I didn't mean to get you and Hermione up this late at night."

Draco's hand returned to his shoulder, this time to comfort with a slight squeeze. "If you're concerned about Rose missing, there's a reason. I trust your instincts, as should you. And don't be sorry to ask me for help. I might not have been able to do anything for you before-" He looked chagrined. "-but I'm here for you now, son." He clapped him once on the shoulder. "I'll help in any way I can."

The older man disappeared behind his bedroom door before Scorpius could reply, and Scorpius dashed off to the library, brushing tears from his eyes.

The first Floo-call he made was to Eleri. She didn't answer, however. Next, he called on each of Rose's friends, as well as Marcus, Hugo, and Al, but the answer was always the same: no, they didn't know where Rose was, and they hadn't talked to her within the last few days, either.

"You tried Eleri, right?" Al asked.

"Yeah, she's out."

Al was quiet a moment. "On a work night, at this time? That's strange, don't you think?"

"What are you implying?"

Al gave him a flat stare. "Does your ex have jealousy issues?" He held up a hand. "Please, do us both the favour and don't bother denying it. Everyone knew in school you took her cherry. Besides, she mumbles your name in her sleep."

Scorpius was floored by that implication. "But… you're gay!" he protested.

Al's smirk was pure wickedness. "According to whom?" He went serious a heartbeat later, his range of emotions as versatile as his wit. "Don't get your wand in a knot, big boy. She was experimenting to get over you, and it was only once. Turns out two guys at once aren't her thing. Louis _was_ crushed by her rejection, though - it was his first time, you know." He smirked again. "What a way to lose your virginity! Anyway, one thing's for sure: she's got a temper, that one - almost as bad as my mum. If I were you, I'd head over to Eleri's place, pronto, and make sure she hasn't got Rose trussed up like a Christmas goose and laid out on her table for a late night snack."

As Scorpius stood there, considering what to do next, an uncomfortable flush of heat hit him out of the blue. It scampered up his spine, and nailed him at the base of his skull. Hot on its heels, an ominous feeling followed, tightening his chest and twisting his guts. He loosened the top two buttons of his shirt and tugged at his collar, taking deep breaths, trying to get some air.

Something was very wrong.

Scorpius' Veela hissed inside his mind, sharing the sentiment, having felt what he had.

"I think you're right," he murmured to his friend, climbing to his feet. "I'm heading to El's place."

"Want me to come with?"

Scorpius stared into the Floo fire at the man. Al may have belonged to the fraternity of Slytherin when they'd been in school together, but there was still enough of his father and mother's reckless loyalty in him to make one wonder why he hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor.

"No, but thanks for the offer," Scorpius replied, waving his friend off. "I need you to stay put, just in case Rose shows up at your place or tries to Floo-call you. If you see or hear from her, send her to the Manor right away."

"Will do," Al promised.

The fire went out as Scorpius closed the connection.

As he headed for the door of the library, the Veela was snarling in Scorpius' head like some sort of rabid dog. In a ferocious, unexpected launch, it tried to force its way to the front of his consciousness, to take over his body. It hammered into the front of Scorpius' skull, nearly dragging him to his knees in the process. Scorpius fought with everything he had to retain control of his limbs, gripping the door frame for support.

_You're not thinking rationally,_ he shouted in his mind at his bestial side. _With the state you're in, if you take control, you'll rampage and bring the Aurors down on us. What good will that do Rose then?_

_Can't you feel that? _It screamed at him. _She's hurt!_

"I feel it, but we don't know for sure-" Scorpius tried to argue around panting for breath. A powerful wave of dizziness suddenly assaulted him, though, curtailing that line of reasoning. He had to lean against the wall for a moment until it passed.

Shit, the Veela was right, wasn't he? Rose was in serious trouble, wherever she was. Somehow, he just knew it was true.

This was bad. Really bad. He could feel his Veela teetering on the edge of sanity as the magical call of their mate's distress banged about inside his head and heart. If his other half went out of control, it might not only devour him, but destroy everything in its path to get to Rose. The Ministry wouldn't hesitate to put him down anymore than it would a berserk Werewolf or a rogue Vampire. It would be the death of them both, with Rose still out there, in trouble, if he couldn't get the monster within to calm down.

"Stomping around and tearing things up won't help us to find our mate any faster. She needs you to think this time, Veela, not act," he tried again, speaking as evenly as he could, considering the physical illness that was beginning to plague him. "Help me come up with a way to find her, and fast!"

He could feel the creature's struggle to temper its wrath. _That spell,_ it offered, _the night you stood outside her cousin's house, for a date._

Scorpius considered it. "_Point Me_ only works if the object is nearby." Still, he took his wand out and attempted the spell. All it did was turn once and point to the magnetic north, which indicated Rose wasn't close enough for the magic to latch onto her aura. "At least we know she's not in Wiltshire. Anything else?" His mind whirled with possibilities. "We could follow my Patronus, if I sent it to her."

He gripped his wand in hand, preparing to cast the spell when another wall of pin-prickly heat slammed into him. His entire body flushed and perspired the same way it would if he'd stood too close to a bonfire for too long. Sweat dripped into his eyes.

_She's dying, _the Veela explained, agonised._ I feel her dying! Do something or I will!_

_The ritual,_ Scorpius realised. The Veela mating ritual that changed his body and his magical aura the night of his twenty-fifth birthday had done this to him to alarm him to his mate's distress and pain. It had ensured that he'd always know if his mate were in danger. It had created between them a two-way conduit, that he'd been able to exploit to enter her dreams.

Hope flared in his chest as inspiration struck.

_Come forward and take the body,_ he demanded of the Veela, stripping off his shirt so the beast's wings wouldn't be pinned when they emerged, _but stay in control. Don't fly off the handle. I have an idea._

He hoped this worked, because it might be their only chance.

**X~~~~~X**

Parting the grey curtain of Rose's unconsciousness had proved extremely difficult. Something about its structure and strength had altered just enough for Scorpius and his Veela, working together, to have to exert great force of will to push it aside. Once they were in, though, Scorpius' idea worked like magic.

He was standing in the front yard of the house from Rose's nightmares, only this time, it was daylight. The sun beat down on Scorpius' head, causing another flush of heat through him. He opened his mouth, only to feel the moisture across his tongue dry up.

Quickly, he and his Veela moved down the white, gravel path and to the front door of the house that represented Rose's subconscious.

To his surprise, a bloody hand print still marked the entrance, stark red against a glaring, white backdrop.

Odd.

The Veela, in control of Scorpius' body just then, spread its vast wings and began pushing air around. It lifted its nose and began sniffing.

A growl emanated from its throat.

It sniffed again… and obviously scenting something it didn't like flew into a rage the likes of which Scorpius had never felt before. It punched a hand right through the solid oak front door. Razor-sharp talons elongated from its fingertips, and he used them to tear at the wood, pulling it apart and turning it into so much kindling. When his progress seemed too slow, the Veela simply slammed his shoulder into the door with a strength Scorpius hadn't guessed it possessed, and tore the thing right off its hinges.

The inside of the house was much different from the last time they'd been here. It was neat as a pin, with cosy furniture, plush carpet, and tasteful wall decorations and colour. It was a picture-perfect setting of mental tranquillity – minus the blood that began oozing and dripping from the ceiling the moment they'd stepped foot inside.

"MATE!" his Veela shouted. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

No sound was forthcoming at first. Then, very faintly, Scorpius heard the sound of Rose crying.

_Back bedroom, down the hallway,_ he directed the Veela, following a hunch.

The Veela moved so fast, the room blurred. A second or two after he'd made his suggestion he stood before the closed door to the back bedroom, where he'd last found Rose hiding and in tears. A simple shove of the door with the flat of his palm, and the flimsy inside lock was snapped in two, and the door thrown open.

Rose was kneeling in the centre of the room, naked, giving him her profile. She was covered from head to toe with dark smudges that looked like dried mud and...

He and the Veela just stopped, both of them too shocked to move at first.

Even from the side, they could see very clearly that the soft flesh of her back and chest had been cut into ribbons, and blood flowed freely from the long, slashes. The ends of her hair and the front of her body were drenched by it. She was rocking back and forth, saying his name, sobbing in between, and her hands were covering her eyes.

"Scorpius… my Veela," she cried. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Scorpius mentally kicked his Veela into action. They crossed the room to kneel before Rose, and reached out to gently take her wrists.

"Mate, look at me."

His Veela was grief-stricken by Rose's suffering. He retracted his claws -easily done with the same inherent magic that conjured his wings and drew shadows to him- and touched her with gentleness.

"Rose, babe, please."

Her sobbing only grew louder. "Don't look at me," she wailed. "I'm dirty now. So dirty."

_Use your magic to heal her wounds. Just like you did with her virginity that night at school,_ Scorpius nudged his beast.

The Veela did as bade, but Scorpius noted it took a lot out of him to do so. There was a queer jolt that went through him, and for a minute, he felt nothing but a blinding white pain that seared his frontal lobe - like brain-freeze times a hundred. Eventually, it tapered off, leaving behind a nasty headache.

_Warn me next time you do that, _he groused, shaking his head.

When his vision returned, he was pleased to note that the blood flow stemming from Rose's wounds was greatly reduced. However, it didn't stop all together and the wounds did not close. Whatever had hurt Rose had damaged her too severely for them to fix. She would eventually bleed to death.

With a despairing sob, the Veela wrapped his wings around her and drew her into his arms, cradling her smaller body against his. "My beautiful mate," he whispered, nuzzling her, kissing her everywhere he could reach. It didn't matter that she was filthy, or that she smelled of blood and the rich scent of earth. All that mattered was they were comforting her. "I'm here."

"Veela... I'm sorry," she murmured around pulls of their lips. "I couldn't stop him."

Between one breath and the next, the Veela stopped kissing her. He sniffed again, then again, deeper, pressing his nose into her wilted, dirty hair.

"No!" he moaned, pained, shaking in growing rage. "No, no, _no!"_

Scorpius tried to pierce through the Veela's separate consciousness, to understand what was happening. He and his beast may have shared the same body, but with the Veela this much in control, he was not able to access its memories or its thoughts. He began putting the facts together instead, and what he was imagining frightened him more than anything ever had.

_It's another Veela, isn't it? A male Veela. _When his other half didn't respond, he knew his guess had hit the mark. _Tell me what you know!_

His bestial side ignored him. Clearly, he was teetering on the edge of sanity; his jaw was clenched so tight his teeth nearly cracked from the pressure. "How?" he asked their mate, his voice little more than a feral growl.

Rose began crying harder, and this time, she wrapped her arms around the Veela and buried her face in his chest. "I didn't know he was a Veela. His whole family… they're like the Malfoys! I never knew!" Her sobs grew in strength and in modulation, wracking her weakened body with powerful spasms. "His father knocked me out and held me down with spells, and... Oh, God, he changed! He had gold wings and gold eyes! He changed!"

With a tenderness that belied his monstrous anger just then, the Veela tilted her head and push her hair aside, seeking something... and with a sinking despair, finding it.

Two puncture holes bruised the side of Rose's throat.

Scorpius' worst fears were confirmed.

"It's him, isn't it?" his Veela asked. His voice was low and filled with menace. "I smell him through the veil of dreams. It's Corwin."

"Yes," she whispered, hiding her face with humiliation against him again. "He's twenty-five today."

Scorpius went temporarily numb at the revelation.

His cousin was Veela? How was that possible? How had he and his family never known? Sure, they'd never been close, but… _Did he give her all three Marks, _he asked his Veela, but the beast wasn't listening just then. It had gone stone still. Anger clouded its mind.

Scorpius used the distraction as a chance to creep forward, taking back some control of their shared body. The moment his and the Veela's mind merged again, he knew everything it did, felt everything it did, as usual. What he saw in his mind's eye was an abyss of despair, filled in with a fury so red hot it nearly scorched him to look too long upon it.

Taking control of their shared mouth, Scorpius asked the pertinent questions, since it seemed his Veela was incapable of doing so just then.

"Rose, tell us: did Corwin give you all three Marks?"

She shook her head. "He never gave me the First Mark, he just bit me, and then he…" Her tears came fast once more, and were painful to witness. "He forced his way inside me, but he didn't… finish."

Scorpius felt his Veela go completely still at that revelation.

"He raped you?"

Slowly, she nodded her head.

He and his Veela both saw red.

"But his mother stunned him," Rose explained. "She pulled him off me and got me out of that house." She looked up at him, her big, blue eyes begging him to understand. "I didn't want him! I swear to you, I didn't want him! I fought him, and I begged for him not to mate me, but his Veela… Scor, his Veela is like yours. It's separate. It completely took him over! It's... twisted and cruel – nothing like Corwin. I could tell Cor didn't want to hurt me, but his Veela was too strong. He couldn't stop it."

His cousin had raped his mate. That son of a bitch had hurt his Rose!

The man would pay.

But first, he needed to find his lover. She was the priority, no matter how much his Veela wanted to rend and tear and destroy at that moment. Scorpius forcefully had to remind his beast that Rose was still in danger and needed to be saved. That fact alone kept it from flying off the handle.

Together, they stroked her face with gentle touches. "Where are you? In the real world, where are you right now, mate?"

Rose shook her head, clearly confused. "I don't know. The last thing I remember was Corwin's mum calling out for The Burrow."

Scorpius and his Veela gathered her as close as possible and held her tight to them, using their Veela wings to caress over her and attempt to calm her. "Wherever you are, Rose, we'll find you. Nothing and no one will keep us from you."

She cried even harder, then. "I don't want either of you to see me like this. I feel so dirty!"

The anguish in her voice tore at them.

"You are _not _dirty," they insisted. "Nothing has changed for us. We love you. You are _our _mate, and we will find you. Stay where you are." They kissed her again, and with a great concentrated effort, conjured a sheet for her to wrap around herself. It wasn't much, but this was her nightmare, and it sapped a lot of their energy just to do that much for her. They needed to get out of here and back into the real world as quickly as possible.

Scorpius had never before been to The Burrow, her father's family's house, but both he and his Veela supposed it was a visit long overdue.

"Wait for us, pretty mate. We're coming for you."

**X~~~~~X**

The trip back to reality was as difficult and exhausting as it had been going into the dream. Scorpius' Veela was on its last legs, having exerted so much of itself to enter Rose's nightmare and affect change while there. The only thing getting them back up on their feet the moment Scorpius' eyes opened was the need to get to their mate, because she was suffering.

"Son, are you all right? What happened?"

His father was at his side, helping him in his struggle to make his feet and stay standing.

"You went into the dream, didn't you?" Hermione asked, supporting him on his other side. "You went to find Rose."

Weakly, Scorpius nodded, leaning all his weight into his father. "She's hurt. Corwin's a Veela. He raped her! Tried to claim her!"

His father's face blackened with thunderous anger. "What?"

"Did he force the Marks on her?" Hermione interrupted, clearly stricken by the news. "Did he succeed in taking her from you?"

Scorpius shook his head. "She said... he never gave the First Mark, but jumped to the Second. He didn't manage to get her with the Third Mark before... his mother stopped him. She saved Rose." He tried to push his father's hold away so he could move on his own two feet, but swayed and began to fall as he took a single step. "She's at The Burrow. Have to... go."

Hermione and his father were there in an instant to keep him from falling flat on his face. They reaffirmed their hold on him, each supporting a side.

"She's not at The Burrow," his step-mother informed him. "No one's answering the Floo there. If Rose was injured, her father's probably taken her to St. Mungo's."

"Take me there. Now," he demanded, barely keeping conscious himself. Whatever was happening to Rose was suddenly draining him, too.

The three hurried to the Floo in the Drawing Room, the only fireplace in the house set-up to transport people. Scorpius' father held onto him in a tight hold with one arm as Hermione gave him a handful of green powder and stepped back.

"I'll get your parents and meet you there," she informed her mate.

His father nodded and tossed down the Floo powder. "St. Mungo's lobby," he called out.

Scorpius had to shut his eyes as they moved with dizzying speed through the Floo network.

**X~~~~~X**

His Veela began shouting the instant they landed, despite its diminished energy levels.

"MATE!"

It took over Scorpius' body with ease once again, and shoved Draco away, staggering here and there in delirium as it searched for Rose amongst the faces in the main lobby. The heavy weight of its wings drooped behind it until the tips dragged on the floor, but the Veela didn't seem to notice or care that he was leaving a trail of broken feathers in his wake.

"MATE!" it hollered. "Where are you?"

The hospital receptionist hurried over to determine the cause of the ruckus. The moment he laid eyes on Scorpius' Veela, he cautiously stepped out of the range of its sharp claws, which were unsheathed.

"Where is she?" the Veela demanded, hissing and showing off his impressive, sharp fangs. "Where is our mate?"

"Rose Weasley," Scorpius' father supplied. "What level?"

"First level, through there," the wizard replied, pointing off to his right, his gaze moving between the two men. "The 'Dangerous' Dai Llewellyn Ward for Creature-Induced Injuries. She was brought in twenty-minutes ago in critical condition."

The Veela was already heading in the direction pointed before the man had finished speaking. Every step was unsteady, and he weaved back and forth like a drunkard, careening into walls and furniture, but he was determined to get to Rose no matter what.

_Let me help, _Scorpius offered his partner, trying to push to the front so their energies could combine and sustain them a little longer.

The Veela was too weak to deny him, nearly delirious with exhaustion and from the bizarre draining of its lifeforce caused by their connection to Rose. It allowed Scorpius to move forward in their mind once more. The two of them joined and were able to make it down the hallway with a mostly stable stride.

"MATE!" they bellowed.

From a room further up the hall, an old wizard stepped out of a room and into the hall. He was stooped over, leaning heavily on a cane, and even from the distance, Scorpius could smell the lingering scent of menthol around him. What little there was left of his hair was a shocking white, and it had been cut so short, it appeared a fluffy halo around his ears. "Ah, you must be Scorpius," he said in greeting, his eyes twinkling with interest. He seemed both nervous and inquisitive as he took in Scorpius and his Veela in their combined transformed state. "Big fellow, aren't you?"

Before any more could be said, from inside the room where, apparently, Rose was being tended, there was an eruption.

"Where is he? I'll kill the bastard myself!" a man bellowed, clearly enraged.

"Ron, stop!" an unfamiliar female voice pleaded, and there seemed to be a struggle of some sort.

The angry man –balding on top, with a smattering of ginger hair on the back and sides- appeared in the doorway, glaring at Scorpius and his Veela. At his side, a small, mousy woman with greyish-brown hair was tugging at his arm.

"Ron, let him speak," she protested. "We don't know-"

That was as far as she got, before Ronald Weasley, Rose's father, shook off the woman's hold and stomped down the hallway, meaty fists balled at his side. When he was in range, he took a swing at them, which Scorpius and his Veela dodged with some difficulty, still unsteady. They staggered into the wall and used it to brace themselves as Rose's dad loomed over them in a threatening manner.

"You sodding arsehole!" Ron shouted. "I'll kill you for what you've done to my Rosie!"

In an instant, Scorpius' father was there to catch the next punch aimed right at his son's nose.

"Back off, Weasel," his father sneered, his hold on Ron's wrist solid in its restraint. "My son didn't hurt your daughter."

Ron snarled at Draco Malfoy. "The hell he didn't! He... he _mated_ her without her permission, and now she's so sick the doctors don't know what to do for her!" Fury lent the man some power. He shoved at Scorpius' father with enough strength to break the hold Draco had on him. The two were eye to eye as they went toe-to-toe. "You and your freak family have always destroyed everything you've touched, Malfoy! It wasn't bad enough you almost let a mad man destroy our world, but then you ruined my first marriage, too. Now, you're killing my daughter! Someone needs to put you rabid animals down!"

The witch lingering in the background had clearly heard enough. She stormed up to their little merry group, her wand in her hand and the intent to kick a little arse in her expression. "Ron, that's enough," she hissed. "Husband or not, one more word and I'll gag you myself!"

Ron Weasley looked at the small, waifish woman at his side with clear shock, as if he'd never before heard an unkind word pass her lips. His jaw was somewhere around his ankles as he gaped at her. "But, Suze-" he began.

The witch waved her wand, and a cloth gag appeared around Ronald Weasley's mouth, as promised. The man's eyes bulged.

"Remove it and I'll _Petrify _you instead," the woman warned her husband through narrowed eyes.

The older wizard with the white hair came forward then, and put a hand on Ron's shoulder. "Son, this isn't helping Rose. Our Petal needs us. Better to spend our energies trying to solve the problem, yes? You can duke it out later." He looked at Scorpius' father. "Mister Malfoy, I'm sure, agrees for his son's sake."

Draco nodded. "Rose comes first. If she dies, my boy does as well. I'm going to do everything I can to assure that doesn't happen." He glanced at Ron Weasley and sneered. "So, stay out of my way, Weasel." He turned to Scorpius and his Veela then, and offered an arm to help them regain their balance. "Come, my son. Let's tend to your mate."

It was difficult to catch a solid lungful of air, much less move a muscle; it was almost like they were breathing through treacle. They took their father's hand and let the older man aid them in walking along the wall towards Rose's room.

_Hurry,_ his Veela whined in his head. _She needs me!_

_Us,_ Scorpius reminded his beast once more.

They rounded the door jamb… and for a fraction of a second, their heart beat fiercely with relief at finding their mate at last. Then, they got a really good gander at her, and breathing became a problem again.

How small and defenceless Rose looked against the backdrop of white sheets and white walls! She was as pale as a ghost, and the freckles on her face appeared as dark specks of mud across the bridge of her nose. Her lips had a bluish cast to them and her fiery red hair was a dull, limp tangle spread over the hospital pillow. Her eyes were closed, her breathing shallow. She looked too fragile to be real.

This wasn't their mate, who had always been vibrant and healthy, of fierce temper and unrelenting spirit. This was a shell of the woman they loved – a broken doll that had been abused and discarded.

_Oh, baby, no..._

Two Healers hovered by Rose's bedside, completely oblivious to anything outside their patient's caretaking. The men were arguing about how to keep her alive. Scorpius and his Veela gave them no mind, shoving past them to reach for Rose, collapsing at her side.

The Veela regained control of their shared body the instant they touched her too-cool skin, taking the dominant position once more. Scorpius was bloody exhausted, and unable to fight him just then, so he let go and allowed his beast to take control. He marvelled at how much strength the creature actually had to keep going despite how awful they both felt. The Veela truly was an amazing beast.

"Mate," his other half sobbed into Rose's neck, pulling her unresponsive form into him. "I'm here." With soft caresses to her cheek, jaw, and throat, the Veela tried to coax her into opening her eyes. "Wake up for me. Please come back to me."

He shuffled weakly to get even closer to her. Draco came to his aid, assuring the Veela didn't crush his wings, which had sprouted magically from his bare back once he'd regained full possession of the body. His father seemed to take extra care of the fragile projections, assuring they lay flat, rather than hanging off the bed. The Veela didn't seem to notice or worry that someone was touching his wings –a most sensitive appendage, the loss of which would mean a halving of his power according to Daneetzah's tragic tale– because all of his concentration was fixated on Rose.

With his other half fully dialed in on their mate, Scorpius was able to drift, allowing his focus to be on everything else in the room. He was looking for clues, listening for a diagnosis – anything that would give him an idea as to what was wrong with Rose and how they might save her.

Vaguely, he heard Rose's father swearing near the doorway. "Bloody bastard," he murmured, having removed the gag from around his face. Immediately, Rose's step-mum chastised her husband, threatening to put the mouth binding back in place if he said one more unkind word. That seemed to do the trick of reining in the man's temper.

Nearby, the two Healers were softly speaking to his father about Rose's condition.

"-not sure. Her magical aura is severely damaged," said one wizard. He had a pinched, nasal quality to his voice. "It's almost like it's been torn in two and both halves are poisons of a different kind, each killing her as they try to reshape her to match them. I've never seen anything like it."

"Get a Veela expert in here," Draco demanded. "We need someone who understands the intricacies of mating."

"Is that what this is?" the second Healer asked. His tone was that sterile, clinically professional type of voice meant to ease those who tended towards panic. "A Veela mating gone wrong? I'm afraid it's out of my depth in that case. I'm a magical creature specialist, not someone who knows about bonding rituals among magical beings."

"And I know only what I've read of them – not enough to tackle something this severe," the first Healer ruefully admitted. "Give me a Streeler burn to salve or an Acromantula bite to drain any day, and I know exactly how to cure those things. This-" He waved his hand towards the bed at Rose. "I haven't the faintest idea where to start treating the problem."

There was some movement by the door as a new energy approached, rolling in like a black cloud over a bright horizon. "Call in Skomorovski," Lucius Malfoy ordered as he swept in and came to stand on the other side of Rose's bed. "He's from the Krasnyy Foundation in Samara. The man's been studying Veela for forty years."

"Pardon me, but Skomorovski has dealt primarily with female Veela," the first Healer countered. "I've read some of his papers, and the only references in his writings I recall to male Veelas were in regards to their rarity. Ms. Delacour from the Salem Witches Institute, however, is currently the foremost expert on the male of the species, despite her youth. She's part Veela, herself, and has studied several male Veela for her doctorate thesis while at Université Delphinium in Paris. I've attended several of her lectures. The witch has a fresh insight into the magical aspect of the species that no one's been able to touch upon."

"Well, where is the woman?" Scorpius' grandfather demanded. "Someone find her!"

"Last I heard she was in Turkey on some fact-finding mission for a book she's writing on the subject," the nasally Healer replied.

With a single finger, Draco traced the outer vane of one of Scorpius' wings. "I don't care what you have to do or who you have to push to get it done, but get the Delacour witch here _now_," he directed the two Healers.

"Which Delacour are you talking about?" Hermione asked from the doorway, having just arrived via Floo and clearly out of breath from rushing through the hospital to reach them.

"Dominique," Ron Weasley supplied. "These two seem to think she's Rose's only hope. I didn't know she was studying Veela." He paused, seeming to consider that. "I'd imagine Fleur would know exactly where her daughter is, yeah?"

Hermione hummed in agreement. "I'll Floo-call her right now. Maybe she can get word to Dom that we need her here stat." Her footsteps retreated back down the hallway towards the lobby, moving with haste.

"'Mione, wait up! Suze and I'll come with," Ron stated. "We can hit the whole family faster with three of us calling out. Suze, you reach out to Gabrielle, I'll take Victoire..." His voice faded off as he and his wife followed after Hermione.

The two St. Mungo's Healers excused themselves from the room as well, letting the others know that they would be on-call down the other end of the hallway. There were promises to return every hour to check on Rose's progress, but really, it was understood that they could serve very little help in this case other than to check on their patient's vitals, as this case was entirely out of their area of expertise. They'd done all they could at this point.

As the room cleared out of all non-essential personnel, Scorpius could feel his father and Lucius both move in to offer comfort and to fortify a position of strength around him, his Veela, and Rose. His grandfather stood stoically by the head of the bed, a powerful, silent guardian, while Draco took up a spot on the opposite side, stroking Scorpius' shoulders and offering him silent support.

Draco's solidarity Scorpius could understand; he and his father had come great strides in patching up their relationship over the past few weeks. They were even now friends, of a sort. However, it struck Scorpius as odd that his _grandfather_ would rally to his need at all, never mind standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Draco, as the relationship between the Malfoy men had always been one of difficulty. That had been true all the way back to Theodosis Black and Lycinus, his son. It was part of the curse, no doubt. Yet, here Draco and Lucius remained, steadfast and loyal to their blood, despite all the disagreements and disappointments in each other.

His grandmother had been right about ol' Lucius: the love was there, just hidden behind whole lot of bluster.

But it wasn't just the men that made the Malfoys resilient, he realised in an unexpected moment of clarity. It had been their _mates_ that had made all the difference in their lives...

First, there was Scorpius' grandmother, who had never wavered in her defence of her husband and the lineage they'd established together. Scorpius had heard the stories of the desperate deal Narcissa had struck with Severus Snape to protect her only son from Voldemort's scheming ways. The woman would do _anything_ for those she loved – including lying to the most powerful and terrifying dark wizard in history. Even now, Narcissa stood nearby. She stroked Rose's forehead with a gentle touch, whispering wishes for the witch to come back to them - accepting a half-blood into their family without hesitation, because she knew how much the witch meant to Scorpius.

Then there had been Scorpius' mother, who had helped gentle his father during a difficult and painful period in his life, and who had provided Draco with his heir. His grandmother had made it clear that Astoria's selflessness and compassion had, most likely, been the only thing that had kept Scorpius' father from drinking himself into a permanent coma when the man had been twenty-five and struggling with the loss of his first love and with society's continued mistrust and hatred of their family name. Astoria had been Draco's salvation during a dark time in his life, and had given him a family of his own to love, even after her death.

When Hermione Granger came around, she'd given his dad a second chance at love. Draco had grabbed it up without hesitation, doubts, or regrets, and now the man was drowning in happiness. In fact, Scorpius could almost feel the warmth in the room rise by degrees as his step-mum returned from her errand and rejoined them, as if the woman carried joy around with her in her pocket. His father beamed at her as she reached for his hand. And her addition to their house was not just one more heart to add to the mix, but two, for she carried Scorpius' sister or brother in her womb, too.

Last to join their ranks would be his Rose... She would be a powerful addition to that line-up of great Malfoy women. Her courage, intelligence, beauty, and personal brand of feminine charm would fit right in.

Of course, none of those relationships might have been possible without the family curse on the Malfoy men. In retrospect, the bane of sharing their lives with a monster had actually been a blessing in disguise, for it had assured their family lineage's continuance, and it had forced them to pick only the best women with the most potent qualities to marry. Kind of a fucked up way to look at it, but... yeah.

And okay, sure, his Veela was annoying, petulant, stubborn, and difficult to deal with at times, but in the end, Scorpius loved the guy. His Veela had saved him from the folly of his youth, when he'd hurt Rose the first time they'd had sex. It had suffered to save them all time and again, and the only thing it had ever asked for in return was the chance to love and mate Rose – something Scorpius had wanted anyway, deep down. It was a vicious, sly, aggressive creature at times, but that single-minded ruthlessness was something Scorpius could respect, too, being a former member of Slytherin House. So, yeah, overall he loved the irascible bastard he shared his life with. The Veela was like his conjoined, dark twin, and he couldn't imagine his life without him now.

These were his family, he thought. All of them. In the middle of the worst tragedy of his life, he'd finally found them.

Funny, but he could almost hear the Veela calling him a big pussy for thinking such things. If it hadn't been so focussed on Rose, he was sure it would have done.

_You want me to take the body for a bit,_ he asked, concerned that the Veela would exhaust itself.

Instead of being annoyed by the offer, his Veela declined with a simple, 'no'.

Scorpius didn't make a fuss over the rejection, understanding by now how the creature he shared his life with operated. If the Veela needed to be the one touching Rose, he would not take that from him. Besides, he was in a much more balanced and reasonable state of mind than his beast, and listening to the others discuss the situation, taking in what they were really saying and noting the things they were not, was just as important a task right then as attempting to coax Rose back into consciousness. So, he'd leave his other half to fret, while he eavesdropped.

"Ron managed to get a hold of Fleur's daughter, Victoire, who was able to get a message to her mother," Hermione informed the small group in a hushed tone. "She's sent her son, Louis, to retrieve Dominique from Turkey. Apparently, he's been helping his sister with her research on Veela and knows where she is and what she's doing in the Middle East. They should be here soon."

"How soon is 'soon'?" Narcissa asked.

Draco let out a heavy, hissing breath. "It had better be quick."

His father sounded very worried, Scorpius noted, and the man kept stroking over his wings... No, not stroking - patting. As if trying to put something back into its proper place. Alarm bells went off in his head. _Something's wrong with us,_ he told the Veela. _You've got the body, so I can't see. Pull yourself away for a second and look at what my father is doing._

It took Scorpius two mental kicks to get his other half to comply. When he finally turned his head to look over their shoulder…

His feathers were slowly curling in, blackening, and falling out. Draco was desperately attempting to put back the ones that he'd captured, but they were already disintegrating into a fine ash that stained his skin a dark charcoal.

_Oh, fuck._

The Veela seemed wholly unconcerned with their physical deterioration. He turned back to Rose instead, nuzzling his face into the bend of her throat and giving her his full attention once more. "Take what you need, my mate."

Scorpius went cold as the realisation as to why he'd felt so incredibly drained hit him with all the power of a Bludger to the face. _You're giving her our life energy, aren't you? You've been doing it since we found her in the dream. That's what the jolting sensation and that pain was, wasn't it? Somehow, you've figured out a way to give her the energy of our aura to try to heal hers._

The Veela snapped, _if I hadn't, she'd be dead by now. _

_What you're doing will probably kill us instead_.

His beast was silent before the accusation, and clearly resigned to that fact.

_There has to be another way to fix it. A way that doesn't end in our death,_ Scorpius insisted.

He waited for a response. It wasn't long in coming and was rather predictable.

_There is. We kill your cousin. _

The Veela's candid, cold-blooded answer left Scorpius feeling a bit unnerved. The beast was asking him to murder a member of his own family. Not that Corwin's Veela didn't deserve having his evil heart ripped from his chest after hurting Rose as he had. Still, the idea of taking a life was a serious line in the sand that once stepped over, could never be undone. He would be forever changed, his soul blackened by the experience. That was especially true if the victim was a close relation. In wizarding families, it was considered the most evil thing in the world to kill a blood relative or a spouse. The superstition was that you would be cursed to die a horrible death if you did so, much as Bellatrix Lestrange had after killing her cousin, Sirius Black, back during the war. Some lines should just never be crossed.

There was also the fact that this was his mother's side of the family. Scorpius was extremely sensitive when it came to anything having to do with Astoria Greengrass-Malfoy. He'd adored her when she'd been alive - hanging on her every word and greedy for her generous hugs. She'd always soothed his bumps and fevers with a skilled touch and a sweet bedside manner. All through his childhood, she'd been his ideal of the perfect woman: poised, gracious, delicately beautiful, soft of voice and gentle of soul. His favourite memories of her were of her doing a Tarot or tea-leaf reading for him every year for his birthday. Divination had been their secret hobby together, for fun.

Honestly, Scorpius didn't think his mother would approve _at all _with his Veela's plan to kill her nephew, and would urge him to find another way that didn't end in violence.

Also, hadn't Rose said something about Aunt Daphne saving her life? What a way to repay the woman's courage: slaughtering her only son.

Besides, killing Corwin would land them a life-sentence in Azkaban. Surely, his Veela was smart enough to understand human law by now. So, why risk being separated from their mate for the rest of their lives just to get revenge?

Unless…

_You think his death is the only way to free her from his claim, don't you, _he asked._ You're hoping that when he dies, her aura will realign to ours and be whole again. You think she could be saved._

The Veela's feelings on the matter were much more savage and spiteful than that, however. Resentment and the desire for blood possessed his heart.

_I want him dead for daring to touch her. She's mine. My mate. No one hurts Rose and lives. _

Okaaaaaaaaaay. Right. Clearly his Veela was off the reservation.

But then, the beast's response really wasn't so shocking. It was, after all, a creature of violence, lust, unwavering commitment, and devotion. That was its instinct, its strength. It was also its weakness, as it reacted first, before thinking things through.

Scheming, however, just happened to be Scorpius' gift.

_We're too physically weak to duke it out, _he pointed out that glaring fact to his partner._ If what Rose said is true, Cor's other half is a separate entity and has taken over their shared body. He's full-on Veela, and clearly born without a conscience. No way we win that fight as we are now. _

His Veela was still acting peevish, but clearly listening to his logic.

_If Corwin's determined in his claim, he's bound to come here after her - if he can follow her like you can, that is, _he told his inner beast. _Seems to me, the only way to stave him off and keep Rose alive with our energy is to tie us to her in a way that Corwin's Veela wouldn't dare attack us if it meant killing her, too. That would buy time for Dominique Delacour to be found, and for the witch to come up with a plan to save Rose and maybe nullify Corwin's claim on her. _

There was a weighty pause.

_You're asking me not to fight him,_ the Veela accused. _I can't do that. He's challenged me for the right to my mate. _

Scorpius reigned in his anger at the Veela's stubbornness, trying to appear the calm one. _She's mine,_ _too,_ he reminded the beast once more._ And there are different ways to fight to hold on to what you want. Your way can only end in our death and Rose ending up mated to Corwin. My way ensures Rose stays alive longer and that, maybe, we survive too, so we can kick Corwin's arse later. _He could sense his Veela's interest in that thought and pushed the advantage. _Unless you want Corwin to kill us in a fight and then mate her anyway, that is. _

That was it. The Veela took up the gauntlet, as predicted. _What's your plan, boy-o?_

Scorpius explained it in detail to the Veela, who eagerly listened.

_We'll be defenceless in the real world,_ the beast pointed out once Scorpius had finished outlining his idea.

Yeah, he knew, and that was the scary part. It was going to require putting their lives in someone else's hands. Fortunately, he knew just the right people for the job.

_Trust our family to watch over us. _

The Veela pondered the plan for a bit before agreeing to it. Clearly, he had trust issues when it came to the Malfoy men as well.

He explained the idea to the others in the room for Scorpius.

Draco agreed right away that it was the best option available to them, and promised his fidelity to the plan. He seemed to stand taller as he summoned his Veela to come forward, shedding his shirt so his glossy, black wings could stretch wide in a display of power and strength. He took up a position as guard at Scorpius' right.

Hermione, Ron, Ron's feisty wife, and Narcissa also felt the plan a good stop-gap measure, and all took out their wands, stepping into the hallway and to either side of the door, preparing to defend it with their magic against Corwin, who they knew would show up eventually.

"Magic can't stop him," Hermione reminded them all, "not even Unforgivables work on a fully-feral Veela, as I understand it. No one knows why, but... Iron is said to work against them, like it does against the Fae. _Ferrum Incarcerous _should work."

"Chain him down," Ron stated and grinned like a shark. "Good one."

"Remember, his speed will be incredible, so try to cast in front of him so he runs into the spell," Hermione advised.

As the four out in the hall prepared the first wall of defence, inside the room Lucius was unbuttoning his shirt, his every movement precise. "Mating her in the dream... very clever, grandson. Let us hope it will be enough to negate Mister McLaggen's Mark. If not, it could kill you both."

"We're aware," Scorpius and his Veela said, their voices combined once more as Scorpius came forward and joined with his other half to become a singular entity. "She's worth the risk."

Scorpius' grandfather looked down upon Rose's unconscious form, a small smile tugging at the left side of his mouth, as if he were secretly amused by some stray, inner thought. "They always are," he finally stated. With that, the eldest Malfoy removed his shirt, and combined with his Veela once again, allowing the magic to change him from human into hybrid monster. He spread his glorious wings wide to cover Scorpius' left flank entirely.

Between the two sets of Veela wings -one as black as an infinite night, the other as crimson as fresh blood- a screen of privacy was erected, cutting the room in half and dousing most of the light. Like a bird in a covered cage, Scorpius began to feel sleepy almost immediately. The need to close his eyes and rest washed over him like a warm compulsion.

_It's time,_ his Veela stated, sounding excited at the prospect of what was to come, despite his clear exhaustion. _Finally._

Scorpius took a deep, cleansing breath and let it out nice and slow, regulating his breathing so he could fall into the trance necessary to enter the dream world once more.

Rose was going to kill him for this, but to save her life, he'd risk her wrath. This just meant he was going to have to turn over the other half of his shares of stock in the chocolate company he owned to her, and no doubt buy an ever-blooming strawberry field in his mate's name to keep her from skinning his hide. Maybe he'd invest in an ice-cream parlour, too, while he was at it. 'Rose's Grande Creamery' had a nice ring to it.

_Okay, Veela,_ he murmured, already falling into slumberland,_ let's go mate our mate._

* * *

_**TO BE CONTINUED...**_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

**...and the foreshadowing of several of the very first chapters in the story is hopefully now making sense to you, dear readers.**

**FYI: There's a reason Dominique is going by Delacour, and not Weasley in this fic. You'll find out in future chapters. Be patient.**

**Please review!**


End file.
